TCCDM Pulls One Out..."On The Frontier" - Shoot (1973)

"On The Frontier" - Shoot (1973)

     I don't know what I expected when I dropped the needle on this blind-buy puppy, but it was a wonderful surprise.  "On The Frontier" has moments of psychedelic dustings and light coatings of prog pushing things around.  West Coast harmonies and splashes of Mellotron and sitar join the party.  In the ballpark of Pink Floyd and Atlanta Rhythm Section knocking boots.  But only a little bit and then, not really.  Hard to nail down, but it all sounds good.  The songs have an amalgam of melodious ideas that, for 1973, should have made a dent.  The square could have been a mic drop.   

     Instead, Shoot and their only album, "On The Frontier," simply died on the vine.  Recorded at Apple Studio, the band was formed by Jim McCarty, who was an original member of both The Yardbirds and Renaissance.  He had members of Manfred Mann, Soft Machine, and Renaissance help fill out the sound.  The music is both a speakers and headphones experience that falls somewhere into the "under-appreciated" stack.

"On The Frontier" - Shoot (back)

"On The Frontier" - Shoot (inside gatefold)

Favorites include:
"The Neon Life"
"Head Under Water"
"Sepia Sister"
"Mean Customer"

     This copy comes in a gatefold jacket with a custom inner sleeve that includes the lyrics.  The vinyl was pressed at the Capitol Records Plant in Los Angeles and sounds fantastic.  The needle really brings it out.  "On The Frontier" is a pretty obscure 70s album that only rears its head in the wild every once in a while.  But even though it's not often found in the bins, it's not expensive.  I mean, it's low-dollar cheap when you see it.  Still flying under the radar, it's an enjoyable spin and worth grabbing when you can.

"On The Frontier" - Shoot (lyric sleeve)

EMI label

Cat #
SMAS-11229
SIDE A  DEADWAX
1-11229-F-3. ⇀ ✲   
SIDE B  DEADWAX
2-11229-F-3. ⇀ ✲

"Head Under Water"-"Sepia Sister" - Shoot / "On The Frontier" (1973)

TRACKS:
A1  "The Neon Life" 3:52
A2  "Ships And Sails" 3:39
A3  "Living Blind" 4:39
A4  "On The Frontier" 4:20
A5  "The Boogie" 4:10
B1  "Midnight Train" 3:37
B2  "Head Under Water" 1:06
B3  "Sepia Sister" 5:21
B4  "Old Time Religion" 3:45
B5  "Mean Customer" 7:26

PERSONNEL:
Jim McCarty - lead vocals, keyboards, percussion
Dave Green - vocals, guitar, banjo
Bill Russell - bass
Craig Collinge - drums, percussion
ADDITIONAL:
Lyn Dobson and Bob Birtles - horns
B.J. Cole - Pedal steel guitar, dobro
Graham Preskitt - violin
John Tout - piano (B4)

Good stuff.

Casey Chambers
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