Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun | BBE
“We Are The Children Of The Sun was brilliant and Once Again maintains the pace and quality.” Bill Brewster Mixmag
“Another incredible collection!” Max Essa Lone Star/Warp/Is It Balearic?
“This series, I really love it! The selections are so great, incredible!” Ken Hidaka Wax Poetics
“There’s some kind of Magick in here. Where does Paul find these sunny, hazy, lazy tunes of rare beauty?” Chris Coco The Chill Out Tent
“An exquisite selection compiled by one of the most knowledgeable collectors in the field.” Kev Beadle Mind Fluid / Focal Point
“A stunningly deep dive into music that has been overlooked by all but the most relentless of diggers.” Balearic Mike 1BTN Radio
Let us gather one more time on another journey through the rhythmic sands of time, traversing continents and genres one track at a time.
Taking in joyful places and wide-open spaces while dropping out to the musical pulse that unites us all.
An album to remind us that we are all made of stardust with more to connect than drive us apart, for . . .
Once Again We Are the Children of the Sun
‘Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun’compiled by Paul Hillery and released by BBE is available to purchase at this link
Will & James Ragar ~ As The Day Grows Tired
Once again we are on our musical journey and our first stop is the Crawfish Circuit that stretched from the Cajun country of Southern Louisiana to New Orleans.
With an acoustic guitar sound becoming very popular the brothers began adding more of their own compositions to their sets and a fondness for two part harmony evolved. The clean, rich tone of their handmade acoustic guitars allowed for dominating vocals to soar. The duo gained popularity and began supporting headline artists including Leon Russell, Stephen Stills and Taj Mahal. ‘As the Day Grows Tired’ was a favourite part of their constant flow of live shows during the mid ‘70s. The duo loved to stretch out guitar solos and improvise during their live sets trying new harmonic variations on their audiences. They recorded their self-titled album in 1980 at No Mountain Studios in Midland, Texas.
Forest ~ Crazy Days
New England is our next destination. The year 1971. From their inception there was no genre the band would not embrace. One of the main keys to their local popularity was the diversity of their sound, they were certainly not afraid to try new things.
‘Crazy Days’ appeared as the last song on Forest’s debut self-titled LP. Keyboardist Wes Talbot’s synthesizer and Fender Rhodes piano perfectly punctuates the melody along with the richness of Jim Lacaprucia’s counter phrasing on B-3 throughout. Anchoring and driving the song is the primo rhythm section of drummer, Bob (Rox) Girouard, drummer/percussionist Gary Stevens and bassist, Ward Allen who launched the groove to new heights. Augmented by Michael Hills’ lead guitar, the track provides a maximum backdrop for Gary Stevens’ silky, smooth and ultra-soulful vocal.
Cunningham Corner ~ Free And Easy
SWe are still in 1971, but Fort Collins, Colorado. Five guys were attending Colorado State University – Kevin Donnelly, songwriter/ lead vocalist/ guitarist, who is from Wilmette, Illinois. Scott Galbraith, songwriter/lead vocalist/ guitarist, who is from Montclair, New Jersey. Richard Lee, flute player/singer/music arranger, who is from Sacramento, California. Grant Morgan, 8-string bass guitarist, who is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and Gary Brittingham, conga drum player, who is from Kenilworth, Illinois.
They took their name from a farm built in 1880 which was located on the south side of Fort Collins, Colorado. Kevin Donnelly lived there in 1971. The band rehearsed in the barn at Cunningham Corner.
Their first live performance was on January 29, 1971, in Fort Collins, more gigs followed and that summer he band booked themselves into Paragon Studio, Chicago, Illinois. It was here four of their original compositions were recorded: ‘Brand New Day’, ‘Only Yesterday’, ‘Long Dirt Road”’ and ‘Free and Easy’. The original recording of ‘Free and Easy’ was released as a 45 rpm vinyl record by Crystal Records, Chicago. Due the length of the recording Crystal Records split the song into two parts We have joined those two parts and released it here on vinyl for the first time.
Cunningham Corner went on to play Doug Weston’s legendary Troubadour, West Hollywood twice and received a standing ovation on both occasions.
Wendy Grace ~ More Than Hope
Wendy was born in Sydney, Australia. She started playing guitar and writing songs in her teens. After leaving school she worked as a receptionist in a busy Sydney recording studio. Soon her musical talent was noticed and she began working as an in-house singer and musician. In 1975 she was offered a recording deal with Albert Music and recorded her first album ‘Backyard of Blue’. The album was full of original songs and featured many of Sydney’s top musicians, including members of the jazz/rock fusion band Crossfire.
‘More Than Hope’ was written in collaboration with her then partner, musician Don Reid (the original sax player in the band Crossfire). They worked on the song with Don at the piano in their rented cabin in Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches. The song themes being the interconnectedness of all things and the need for personal development and for creating a more peaceful and sustainable world.
Wendy continues to make music from her home in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia.
Bengt Liedman ~ Tight Tonight
Over to a small, in fact, very small village in Sweden during the winter of 1963. It is here where Bengt Liedman was born. Growing up his love for music blossomed, he picked up a guitar and in his early teens he started to compose music.
In the early ‘80s and deep in the forest of south Sweden, Bengt and a friend, Hans Johansson, converted an old chicken house into a rehearsal/recording studio. When the work was finished Bengt started to compile some of his self composed songs into an album and the recording sessions began. Hans and Gunnar Muller were the sound technicians and Anders Rydholm was a multi-tasking musician and produced the album. The album was recorded in 1987 and the LP was released as the first production on the local independent label ‘Chicken Records’. ‘Tight Tonight’ is the opening track of the album.
Bengt has continued to write songs and doing performances in many different genres and in different bands ever since.
Corill ~ Soul Shadow
It was the mid to late 1980s in Cologne, Germany when long time school friends Khalid Hammoudi (bass), Matthias Kuntz (guitar) and brothers Thomas (guitar) and Detlev Schwabe (keyboards) decided to combine their individual talents and start writing and recording some original songs under the band name Corill. The favoured mostly instrumental songs which were characterized by a strong emphasis of harmony and rhythm, taking in various stylistic influences, such as funk, jazz, new age and rock, which the band combined into a pop-oriented sound.
A cultural relations department of a bank in Cologne decided to produce a rock album featuring ten songs by local amateur bands and issued a call for demo tapes. The name of the project was ‘Rock de Cologne’ and the demo’s chosen would be recorded in a professional studio and then compiled and released on vinyl. ‘Soul Shadow’ was selected as the only instrumental for the album. Now in a professional studio, the band was completed by drummer and percussionist Michael ‘Testa’ Maikowski, a friend and member of local band ‘The Innocent’. A series of concerts around Cologne was set up to promote the album and give the bands a chance to introduce themselves to the public.
Varela ~ Come And Take Me By The Hand
Now a stop over in 1980s New York, with a slight re-wind to 1977. ‘Come And Take Me By The Hand’ – a moody love/life song filled with bittersweet sentiments was written by Allen Varela in 1977 and made its recording debut on the first self-titled Varela LP, released in 1978. In 1980 the track would be re-recorded and added to Varela’s second LP – ‘A New Plateau’ – that is the version appearing on this compilation. Varela featured Allan Varela on acoustic guitar, bass and vocals, Kate Rotolo also on acoustic guitar, and vocals, Paul (Broke) Brokaw on keyboards with an array of session musicians added to the studio recording.
Just Us ~ Just A Thought
In 1977 Jeff Miller and some children of the sun formed a band, they called themselves Just Us. They soon moved out of Green Bay, Wisconsin to Los Angeles, California to seek their fame and fortune.
In their first year they managed to write and release an album, recorded in Hoyt Axton’s Garage Studio in Hollywood, California. ‘Just A Thought’ was the name of the LP and the title song which you’ll also find rehomed within this compilation.
Their entire album centered around the power of positive thought and energy from the sun. With the song itself a combination of human history and the promise of what could come from positive thought, purity of heart and a careful assessment of where we had come from and where we all could be heading in the future. The band had in mind solar energy and a positive concentration of the mind, where ideas could begin to blossom into our cosmos and the power of the sun could save the day. The bands cosmic paths have aligned once more and their new project ‘Now & Then’ is beginning to rise..
Mike Baumann & Thom Huntington ~ Time
We meet up with Mike and Thom for a return trip. ‘Time’ is re-discovered 40 years after its original release. It is the 4th tune from their album ‘Get a Grip’. Only a few hundred copies of the record were made, and many were lost to floodwaters while in storage.
Thom and Mike met as classmates in 1980 at Frostburg University in the Appalachian foothills of Western Maryland. They spent the summer living at the beach in Ocean City where they crafted much of the material for the album. Upon their return to Frostburg for the Fall semester, they began recording tracks at a studio owned by Mike Hounshell. Many local friends who were part of the Western Maryland music scene contributed their talents to the project.
‘Time’ was layered together piece-by-piece, using old-school tape overdubbing. Mike recorded the first track with a simple piano and vocal arrangement, that was accompanied by the expert drumming of Lloyd Yavener. Thom added bass and lead guitar. Kate and Anne McDonnell provided lush background vocals. Finally, a series of horn tracks were written and recorded, with Charlie Propper and Ron Grey on trombones, Mark Corbliss on trumpet, Vanessa Von Ault on tenor sax and Teressa Owens on the baritone sax. Perhaps the highlight of the song comes during the extended jam at the end, where Ron Grey, alias Mr. Bop, renders a soulful and epic trombone solo.
Darrell John ~ Write Your Lucky Number
Born and raised on a corn farm in Northern Illinois, Darrell John started playing guitar at age 5 after begging his Mom & Dad for one. There it appeared under the Christmas tree, a Sears catalogue 6 string, too big for young Darrell to wrap his arms around.
Taking lessons from small town guitar teacher called Frank Janson, who taught from his wheelchair, Darrell went down to a local music store and ordered a 3/4 size Harmony, a guitar he still owns to this day.
He started writing songs while in high school, and in the fall of his senior year he jumped on a Greyhound bus and headed down to Memphis to record a single, A & B side, at Style Wooten Productions, a studio owned by a giant of a man, standing six-foot-six and with a full, furry beard and a wax-tipped handle bar moustache.
Darrell moved on to Houston in 1977 where he was spotted by a local record producer from Ram Records and signed to record an album. The LP ‘It’s Taken Such a Long Time’ was pressed on a small run and it is beleived only a few copies have survived..
The Freeze Band ~ Going Back in Time
Formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1976.Tom Luxem, Lon Miller and Kim Dimmer had recently left the band Mongo and decided to form a new band. They added synth player Paul Christophanelli and Lon brought along his brother Dave to play lead guitar. Paul left soon as he had graduated from Arizona State University, so an ad was put out for a new keyboard player. Marty Schlemeier answered and The Freeze Band was formed.
The band played all over the Southwest and became very popular in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The song ‘Going Back in Time’ was composed to reflect the myriad of feelings a person goes through as they navigate their emotions entering into a sexual relationship.
Godspeed ~ Ice Cold
In 1968 the genesis of the band was formed at Bettendorf High School, Iowa. Starting out as a trio which featured Jim Scherer and Steve Couch they called themselves ‘Frank Allen’. In 1970 they joined up with Ted Schick and became Godspeed. ‘Ice Cold’ was part of a Godspeed album recorded in 1970 at Fredlo Recording Studio in Davenport, Iowa. Throughout its existence, the label and studio was owned and operated by husband and wife team Fredrick & Lois Mauck, who lived above the studio. The name Fredlo is a contraction of names Fred and Lois.
Unfortunately the whereabouts of the recorded album are unknown. One single exists which featured two of the album tracks ‘Ice Cold” and ‘Dedication – Goodbye’. ‘Ice Cold’ was written by Steve Couch who also played keyboards, lead vocal by ‘Doc’ Angazi, Ted Schick on guitar, Jim Scherer on drums and congas, and on bass was Minuh Nuo. The 45 got some play on the local radio station KSTT.
Fredlo Recording Studios ceased operation in 1976, with Fred returning to work as a film projectionist.
Steve Couch remains active in music from his home in Davenport, Iowa.
Orion ~ Moonshine
It’s the UK in 1987 for this one. The folk duo had just finished recording their debut LP ‘Jack Orion’ in Bristol’s Gypsy Studios. Dee mainly played guitar and sung, with Martin accompanying on violin, bass guitar and melodeon. They then drove the stereo master tape to the pressing-plant themselves.
Orion was first born in 1982. Dee Jarlett was an experienced singer on the UK folk scene and Martin Hanstead (now known as Martin Solomon) had just returned to Bristol after travelling with his fiddle through Europe, the Middle East and East Africa.
Orion remained together for about 14 years working hard touring folk clubs, UK folk festivals and the pub circuit. Martin and Dee still play together in several musical collaborations, including the band Swithin.
William Eaton Ensemble ~ Kayenta Crossing
The album ‘Tracks We Leave’ was conceived and created during several visits to the ‘Four Corners’ area that joins Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. The immense beauty of this geography, its remote spaciousness,and dramatic landscapes inspired the album’s tunings and chordal harmonies. ‘Kayenta Crossing’ begins with a contemplative introduction, featuring William Eaton on 26 string guitar and accompanied by Rich Rodgers on Shakuhachi flute, that captures the austere presence of Monument Valley near Kayenta at sunset.
Kayenta is near the Arizona – Utah state borderline, but the more significant ephemeral border beyond the ‘more-than-human world’, is the ‘crossing’ into seen and unseen realities presented by the iconic spires and tower rock formations of Monument Valley. The rhythmic pulse of this piece, provided by Udi Arouh on Tablas, mirrors the ascending spiral flights of local crows riding the thermal wind currents, up into the evening sky, or a dimly lit café bar in Kayenta that is like a singular outpost rest stop, giving shelter before travelling north to remote and uncommon territories beyond the Arizona Utah border. The gourd shaker, played by Rich Rodgers, expresses the hope for rain as nightfall descends.
William Eaton continues to make music and is the director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
The Greg Foat Group feat. Kat Barnard ~ Milk And Honey
Touching down in the present day for ‘Milk and Honey’. Although originally recorded by Jackson C Frank in 1965 this version features the vocal talents of Kat Barnard, who is a folk singer from Niton on the Isle of Wight. Greg Foat is one of the UK’s leading jazz pianists, composers and music producers. A versatile mainstay of the UK jazz scene he moves seemlessly from soul-jazz workouts, to cinematic haunting compositions, on to library music and pastoral acid folk.
Aria Rostami ~ Golden Hour
We are off to Brooklyn, USA. Planning to get married on June 12th 2020 everything was turned upside down as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With wedding cancelled Aria and his fiancé took a small road trip instead. Taking the time to listen to a lot of acoustic guitar based music in the car. The trip included a stop in Acra, New York, where they stayed by the forest.
It had been a few years since Aria owned a guitar and he had the itch to play one again. On returning to Brooklyn a new guitar and a handful of different flutes were purchased. The result of lockdown is his album ‘Acra’, it echoes the sounds and feelings of their faux Honeymoon road trip. It was recorded at home while quarantining and if you listen carefully you can hear their home life quietly in the background as cupboards open and close.
Originally released in a limited run of 100 cassettes it appears here on vinyl for the first time.
Bugatti & Musker ~ Fate (Demo)
Dominic Bugatti and Frank Musker are British songwriters with a long list of credits.
In 1981 April Music released a limited pressing promo album of their songs. The album was a well kept industry secret for many years and included the original demo of ‘Fate’, with Dominic and Frank playing all the instruments and self-producing.
‘Fate’ was later developed on their 5-star jazz/R&B album ‘The Dukes’, produced by Arif Mardin, (Bee Gees, George Benson, Norah Jones) with musicians from Toto and other top session players providing support. Their song ‘Mystery Girl’ from that album was a top 40 hit in the UK, and remains a rare groove DJ favourite. ‘Fate’ went on to be covered by Chaka Khan and then sampled by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk to become ‘Music Sounds Better With You’. We have included the rare and original collectors’ demo version of ‘Fate’ for your pleasure on this compilation.
Garth Fletcher ~ Peace Train
In 1979 the album ‘Songs… It’s Serious’ was released. The album contained 8 tracks by Garth Fletcher including the album’s climax ‘Peace Train’. It was recorded at Music Designers recording studios, Boston, USA.
Mark Capanni ~ If Life Was A Ferris Wheel
Born in Seattle to a Japanese father and an Italian mother, his parents separating when he was 8. Mark moved to Los Angeles, California with his Mom and brother. He relished in the LA music scene, living just a few blocks from Laurel Canyon.
In his early twenties, with guitar in hand, he backpacked throughout Europe. In Rome he met a young lady from England, they spent a week together and fell in love. She went back to England, and Mark wrote ‘If Life Was A Ferris Wheel’ reminiscing about their short time together. Returning from his European road trip he started playing in small local clubs and an A&R guy recommended he meet with Al Coury, the vice president and A&R executive head of Capitol Records. The meeting went so well that Coury signed Mark on the spot. Recording started and two promo singles were produced for Capitol. But after being bypassed for the presidency Coury left Capitol to join Robert Stigwood and establish RSO Records. The new interim president at Capitol didn’t want anything to do with Coury’s signings and Mark was lost in the shuffle and his singles were never commercially released. The Jackson Sister had some success with the Capanni penned ‘I Believe In Miracles’. He now runs Marco’s, a small trattoria in West Hollywood.
See the artwork for the compilation by following this link
Gather together beneath the sun as we journey through the rhythmic sands of time, Paul Hillery, an esteemed collector and vinyl hunter, presents his follow-up to the highly acclaimed ‘We Are The Children Of The Sun‘. Andrew Male of MOJO Magazine calls the album “One of the most emotionally uplifting and hazily beautiful compilations of recent years.”
“Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun” is a shimmering collection of rare finds, reminding us that we have more to connect us than to divide us. The music encompasses a broad range of sounds, starting in Cajun country with Will & James Ragar, their handmade acoustic guitars allowing for soaring vocals. Along with many of the tracks featured on this compilation, “As the Day Grows Tired” is reissued on vinyl for the first time.
Experience the previously unreleased cover of “Milk and Honey” featuring Kat Barnard and Greg Foat, a versatile mainstay of the UK jazz scene. Discover the first-ever vinyl release of “Kayenta Crossing” by William Eaton Ensemble, capturing the austere presence of Monument Valley. Immerse yourself in Wendy Grace’s jazz-folk masterpiece “More Than Hope” and the acoustic ambience of “Golden Hour” by Aria Rostami.
Paul Hillery and BBE present a compilation of styles and genres, fusing together to make private press wants accessible as a springboard for further listening pleasures. “Once Again We Are the Children of the Sun” is an eclectic selection mixing styles, year and tempo, painstakingly gathered and presented with a great deal of love.
Another of my curated compilation series ‘Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours – Volume One’ will be released on RE:WARM records September 2022
For Cassady Bean and Cosmo Kesey
Records handpicked by Paul Hillery; a heathen, conceivably, but not, I hope, an unenlightened one. Father, friend, vinyl hunter and curator at Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours.
Special thanks to; my mentor Tony Higgins without whom this journey would not have set sail, brother Bob Fletcher who has been my rock. Hugs to; Pete Adarkwah, Julia & Jeff at BBE. Frank Merritt & Angela at The Carvery Studio. Jodie Cox at KPL. Andrew Male, Barnaby Harsent, Matthew Hamilton, Alan McKinnon, Peter Beaver, Micky & Ali at Warm, Patrick Forge & Laura Coxeter-Forge, Chris Maude & Fritz, Christian McBride, Kevin Beadle, Balearic Mike, Sie Norfolk, Rhys Jones, James Clark, Simon John Roberts, Richard Melay, Nigel Pickford, ‘Geoff’ Cave, Asa Bricknell, Santi Oviedo, Danny McLewin, Brandon at Séance Centre, Basso at Growing Bin, Cyril at Holywax, Bruno at Perfect Lives, Martin at WIWWG
If I forgot you I’m sorry, I’ll add you next time.
Praise be; David Crosby, Terry Callier, Arthur Lee, Brian Wilson, Nick Drake, Bridget St. John, Ian Curtis, Matt Deighton, Ken Kesey and Albert Hofmann.
Big hugs to the artists who agreed to be part of this wonderful release. Music is love….
Music Is Love
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