stonefish9's Full Review: First Base/Amar Caballero by Babe Ruth (Band)
Musically, Babe Ruth is definitely is a band that could best be described as non-definable. They were a British band that blended hard rock, blues, classical, jazz, and funk. Here I'm reviewing their two albums on one CD: First Base (1972) and Amar Caballero (1974).
Little is known about the band, other than the fact that the band was led and started by guitarist Alan Shacklock and fronted by lead singer Jenny (also known as Janita) Haan, who sounds like a cross between Pat Benatar and Tina Turner.
Now Alan had been playing guitar since he was a child, and he also had played piano as well. Alan was classically trained in both guitar and piano, so he developed some excellent skills on both. He had played in many rock bands around the England area including the Juniors (no, not the guys who had a hit with "At The Hop"). He then studied music at the prestigious Royal Academy Of Music (the British equivalent of Berklee College Of Music or Julliard), before he decided to form his own group that encompassed jazz and classical influences as well as blues, soul, and funk.
First, he recruited keyboard player Dave Punshon. Dave was also a classically trained pianist who was part of the London jazz scene. Next to complete the members were bass guitarist Dave Hewitt, and drummer Jeff Allen.
The band decided that they needed a lead singer, and they needed one who could sing worth a damn. They found that with Jenny Haan.
Jenny (a.k.a. Janita Haan) Haan was a British-born lady of Dutch descent. She had lived in California during the 60's and became enamored with the blues, jazz, and rock scenes there and started singing. After relocating to England, Jenny had worked in a boutique, and was a hippie chick that sang in blues and rock bands and honed her skills. She had auditioned for the band, and the band was quite impressed with her, and she was in as the lead singer.
The group had at first called themselves Shacklock, after Alan's last name, but then changed their name to Babe Ruth after the baseball player of the same name. Some of the band members liked baseball, and they thought the name sounded cool for a band.
It was during this time that the band played the club and college circuit until that led to the band signing with the Harvest label, a subsidiary of Capitol/EMI (who had some great acts on that label such as Pink Floyd, Be-Bop Deluxe and The Little River Band just to name a few). Although the lineup cut a single called "Elusive", It was during that time that Jeff Allen was replaced by Dick Powell (brother of Slade drummer Don Powell), and the band hit the studio to record their debut which I'm discussing now.
First Base:
Originally released in 1972, First Base is a tough hard-rock LP with plenty of blues, jazz, classical, and funk influences. There's some great originals mixed with interesting covers on this LP. It also set into place what the band was about: Alan would write, arrange, and produce (this one with Nick Mobbs) the band's material, while leaving the spotlight on Jenny, where it belonged. The band is also joined by guest players such as oboe player Harry Mier, percussionist Gasper Lawal, and saxophonist Brent Carter.
The first side of the album starts off with "Wells Fargo". This song ain't about the bank of the same name, but it's about the company who transported money around during the Old West via the stagecoaches and doing what they could to avoid robberies. As Jennie sings, "Days spent riding shotgun on the Mexican border/Shotgun moving to the rhythm of the rage/Just to keep law and order/sits right back down just taking it easy/drinks a shot of whisky/and it makes it mighty easy/you come hard one/you come hard twice/neglecting keeping watch/don't mind the sheriff's advice/riding shotgun/riding over land to the Rio Grande now", it's like watching an episode of the TV show Gunsmoke. Music-wise, this is a cool mix of funk and hard rock, which sounds like The Isaac Hayes Movement meets ZZ Top. Alan does a fast guitar solo like it ain't nobody's business, while Brent does some great sax solos, giving the song a great soulful edge.
Next, the band goes and does a nice mellow piece with the track "The Runaways", featuring Jeff Allen on drums. This is a song about a downtrodden man who is homeless and running away from reality with a bunch of young runaway kids. The song itself deals with running away from home as well as the reality stating that you can't run from yourself as well. Perhaps it's the best song I've heard about the subject since the Temptations' "Runaway Child, Running Wild". Music-wise, this is a nice quasi-classical piece with some nice piano work from Dave, along with some mournful oboe playing from Harry. I like how it starts out slow with cellos (arranged and conducted by Alan of course), but then the tempo builds up and Dave and Jeff come in followed by Alan's fuzz guitar, having played acoustic at first. Interestingly enough, the end of the song is really nothing but the band and cellos playing the same melody over and over again until you hear nothing but cellos playing that melody, albeit arppegiated.
Closing out side one is a great cover of Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention's "King Kong". Now I heard the Jean-Luc Ponty version of this song (which is good too), but this will blow that version out of water. I also heard the original version of that song (It's on the Uncle Meat album), and they do it justice as well. Although the original version of this song was a bit jazzy (much like Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"), this one is a bit rockier and bluesier. I like how Dave plays some great electric piano on the song (a Wurlitzer electric piano through a fuzz box), and Alan also plays some nasty fuzz guitar, showing that he’s pretty soulful on guitar as well.
Opening up side two is the song "Black Dog". No, this ain't the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, but rather a cover of folksinger Jesse Winchester's song about a person who will steal, kill, and destroy in order to survive, and analogizing him as a dog. That kind of reminds me of the dogs in Jack London's "Call Of The Wild". Music-wise, where the original was more of a country-rock pastiche, this is more of a tough hard-rocker. Dave does a nice piano solo, reminiscent of Donald Fagen's piano solo that he did on Steely Dan's song "Fire In The Hole". Alan also does some excellent riffing and leads on guitar, as well as providing some gospel-chorded organ.
Next, there's my favorite track on this album, "The Mexican/For A Few Dollars More". This particular track deals with a Mexican renegade known as Chico Fernandez who wants stability in life and to leave the cowboy life behind by going to California. As Jenny sings, "He's called Fernandez/Living On A Gun/Dreams Of Santa Ana/Fighting In The Sun/Drums So Loud From Outside/Makes It Hard To Dream/A Rain is Falling Hard So Fast/Makes It All Seem Real/Morning, Come Morning/He has got to have it share/Morning, sad morning/said he must be there", it's like something from a Sergio Leone Western. Music-wise, I like how it starts out with flamenco guitar playing, and then it turns into a strange mix of funk, hard rock, and Mariachi music with Dave and Alan doing lead harmony lines throughout the song. I also like how in the song how the band lifts Ennico Morricone's main theme "For A Few Dollars More" in the song as well.
Closing out side one is the song "Joker". This is about trying to score drugs for a low price, only to be played for a fool by the dealer. Both Jenny and Alan share lead vocals on this one. Alan's singing leaves a lot to be desired, as he sounds like Joe Cocker on laughing gas. As they both sing in one verse, I told this Joker that you looked quite easy/Why did you try to score again?/That's what I did/but all I found was a $5.00 deal/But you only ever wanted/wanted him I said to this Joker man/You got to be stealing/A quarter ounce for a $1.00 bill/He said if that's how you feel/Then you better not pay/It's all right/I'll pay on Friday/Leave it on the window sill/Joker, don't use me/I've had about enough of you/Joker don't abuse me/I don't know what I can do", you'd think that were getting dope from the Joker from Batman. Music-wise, this is another hard-rocker done Doobie Brothers-style (Tom Johnston era), with some chunky guitar work from Alan and some aggressive conga playing from Gaspar.
Although this is a good album, this album was only a modest success in England and America, but it was fairly successful in Canada. The band had toured throughout the continent, building their fan base as time went on. But then Dick left the group, and he was replaced by Ed Spevock. The group then hit the studio to cut their next follow-up LP, entitled Amar Caballero.
Amar Caballero:
Originally released in 1974, Amar Caballero is another great album by the band. The harder-rock feel of the First Base album is downplayed in favor of an earthier soul-rock blend along the lines of early Rufus, Ike and Tina Turner, and Lydia Pense and Cold Blood. There's also some music with reggae, jazz, and classical influences, so that's a plus right there. During the recording of this album, however, Dave left the band to join a religious cult and was replaced by Chris Holmes (formerly with Mike Patto's band Timebox). There's also a host of guest musicians playing throughout the record, but I'll get to that in a little bit. Well, it's time to talk about the music, so I'll get to it.
The first side of this album starts with the song "Lady". Written by Alan and Jenny, it's about a guy trying to get his woman back. On here, Alan and Jenny harmonize the lead vocal. As they sing, "Maybe better move on/Down to try and coax her back/And maybe she found another cat/And that ain't where it's at/Oh God won't you tell me what can I say/To bring that lady back to stay/Lady won't you bring it on home/You love after a while/Lover don't be shy", you got a feel for the guy trying to shoot his game. Music-wise, this is a jazz-funk pastiche with some nice grooving electric piano and drums from Dave and Ed, and some swank horns, woodwinds, and strings arranged by Alan. He also does a nice bluesy guitar solo as well.
Next, there's the track "Broken Cloud". This is about a Native American who relocates to a peaceful land after fighting battles. This is another beautiful track with Jenny's plaintive vocals, but we get some nice tympani playing from Ed and nice acoustic guitar from Alan with another lush orchestral arrangement from him.
Now there's the track, "Gimme Some Leg". Written by Alan and Jenny, this is a track about a female hitchhiker who hitches a ride only to be subjected to getting raped (yeah, you heard me right-rape!). Now I think that's touchy subject matter for 1974 if you ask me. Music-wise, this is the only real hard-rocker on here. It's got reggae overtones with Gaspar playing percussion and speaking part of the main chorus in a thick Jamaican accent. Alan really wails on this track, and Chris does some nice organ fills. I usually skip this song since I don't want to hear about rape.
Closing out side one is the track "Baby Pride". Written by Alan and Jenny, this is about having dignity when you feel unloved. As Jenny sings, "I feel cold and warm/Things I find are gone/We make it so very hard/To be loved for what we are/We're string puppets/Dancing past forgotten smiles/forget the cold and wintery lie/Baby pride", you feel her pain and heartache. Music-wise, this is a solemn pop song with jazz chords featuring Chris on electric piano and Alan does some great jazz guitar work evoking Wes Montgomery and Charlie Byrd. Chris Bushen provided the choir at the end (whoever he is), which is just his voice overdubbed numerous times.
Side two starts off with a cover of the Capitols' "Cool Jerk". Now I know some of you folks have heard the Go-Gos' cover of that song, but this version will blow that one to pieces! These guys turn it into high-powered funk number with blasting horns, and it's got a groove that could be described sounding like a cross between the JB's and Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
Next, we are treated to a nice classical-influenced instrumental from Alan entitled "We Are Holding On". On here he is joined by violinist Ray Vincent, whose violin playing on here could make Satan cry. There's also some haunting flute and tambourine from Duncan Lamont and Nick Mobbs. Alan is the real star on here though, and he shows a definite Segovia influence in this classical guitar piece.
Next, there's the track, "Doctor Love". This particular track deals with a girl trying to figure out a guy she don't know nothing about. As Jenny sings, "Baby/Better Watch Out/Is He Gay/Ain't He Just/He's In Between One/He's Turning Up My Life/Making Me Real Shy/If He Told You Some Of The Things He Tried Mama/He'd Make You Shudder At Night/I Want To Tell You Now/You're Doctor Love", you'd think he was the ultimate freak or player. Music-wise, this is some grooving, meaty funk (ala Sly Stone), with some nasty horns! Steve Gregory does a nice sax solo, followed by Alan who rips it up! Now there's some slamming white funk if I ever heard it!
Closing out side two is the title track "Amar Caballero (Sin Ton Ni Son)", which means Love Horseman, Without Rhyme Or Reason. Since this track is divided into three distinct parts, I'll discuss them here:
a. El Caballero De La Reina Isabella-This track means Horseman of Isabella's Reign. Written by Alan and Jenny, on this part you hear only Alan and Jenny. She sings about how this knight during Queen Isabella's reign fights but doesn't really want to fight at all. The next few seconds is just Alan playing acoustic guitar.
b. Hombre De La Guitarra-This of course means guitar man. This is definitely a great track in which Alan shows off his flamenco skills while Dave and Ed back him up, while being joined by Angelito Perez on percussion. You hear chanting for the horseman in Spanish, while the band lays down a tight Latin groove. It's perhaps the best Latin track I've heard done by non-Latinos (other than the band War).
c. El Testament De N'Amelia-That just means Amelia's Testament. This is a traditional folk song Alan arranged for classical guitar, and he plays it with such emotion and feeling as if he knew Amelia himself.
This album was only a moderate seller in England and America, but it turned out to be a hit in Canada where it went gold and established Babe Ruth's following there. This was also the only album that Chris played on, and he left following the tour for Amar Caballero to be replaced by Steve Gurl for their next LP.
There's no doubt that those two albums that Babe Ruth did definitely had some high artistic quality to them, and that Alan's creative muse really shone through on these albums. It's a shame that they didn't catch on like they should have, but the band was definitely ahead of their time.
Editor's Note: All songs written, arranged, conducted, and produced by Alan Shacklock unless otherwise noted.
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