Stanley Steamer. 1973 USA-Michigan

Not even sure where to start with this one. I've had the album on a curiosity list for many years. It's not an expensive album, and so when a sealed one came up recently for cheap, I decided to take the plunge. Finding information about the album is difficult. Stanley Steamer are a nine piece band with horns and a female vocalist. Side 2 is one track that is close to 18 minutes long. On paper it would appear the album is marrying two of my favorite styles together: Horn rock along with female vocal led proto-prog.

And... that's not too far off from what you get! Though it's not really either in the traditional sense. It's more pop oriented than progressive, and the horn rock never really takes off like Chicago or McLuhan for example. Most of Side 1 is satisfying, though I could do without the second part of 'Rainbows on My Face' and 'Desperation, I Love You'. Side 2 is superb throughout, and the track length is never padded with any kind of aimless solos (I had dreaded the insipid drum solo, but none to be found). It takes a couple of listens to adjust the ears on this. It's unique, though not unfamiliar. The songwriting is at a high level, though none of the melodies are particularly memorable. That is to say, there's no single track here you'd want to play over and over, yet hearing in full is very satisfying. Holly Vaughn is a true vocal talent, and most certainly could have been a major pop or jazz singer. The (sparse) orchestrations on side 2 reminded me most of Burt Bacharach's arrangements, and in that light Vaughn recalls Dusty Springfield.

About the band, deep in the web, I found this article. If not reading closely, you would presume the band to be from St. Louis, but it turns out they're from Lansing, Michigan. Jolly Rogers is none other than Kenny Rogers' label. At the time, Rogers was fronting a band called The First Edition (an interesting band in their own right, and not something one would associate Kenny Rogers necessarily with). He was anxious to expand his label, and Stanley Steamer was his first major signing. Then things went awry with The First Edition, and that was the end of the big dreams. For both the label and the band. Given the amount of supply of (mostly) promo copies, it appears Rogers (or his company) did try their best to promote the album.

Since it's an inexpensive album, and a reissue doesn't seem likely, I would suggest grabbing one of those LPs while they're still out there.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Jolly Rogers. Gatefold. Recent acquisition. My copy has a DJ stamp on the back cover, but it's the regular label. It was sealed, so not a switch out situation. I think most copies were promos to be honest.