I have a few entries on Brewer & Shipley on this blog. Check out those for biographical detail.
Otherwise, in short I have written this in the past, “Brewer and Shipley were from heartland America who made the slog to the west coast with their brand of folk rock but what they brought with them was the dust and the open spaces, the sounds of Native Americans, and the music of those American peoples: white country, Native American music, some blues, a little jazz from Kansas City. They weren't hicks, they were switched on and armed with sounds and smarts ready to burst forth just like Dylan had half a decade earlier … And, in the tradition of duos (or trios) of the folk boom they could both play guitars, sing, and write. All those skills are strong but their voices, particularly, mix well. They are big and loud in that "up front" folk way rather than laid back and gentle in that cowboy country rock way we have come to expect. I suspect that is why they have been overlooked in country rock retrospectives though they were there at its inception and have always had country sounds in their music”.
This is their fifth album and last for the Kama Sutra label where they had their hits. "One Toke over the Line" (#10 US, #5 Canada 1971), "Tarkio Road" (#55 US #41 in Canada 1971), "Shake off the Demon" (#98 US 1972).
Oddly, for a band / duo that is clearly album oriented they only struck chart success with their singles.
Perhaps, even that was a fluke. The subject matters and jargon appealed to the times.
But, by 1972 the times were a changin’.
And they were changing for Brewer & Shipley.
It’s a pity.
Their music transcends its time. Sure, the laid back sounds they had perfected after their first slightly experimental album would appeal to both country rock and, perhaps, (ragged) soft rock audiences as well as the singer-songwriter and electric folk crowds but, today, the music works equally as well as rural Americana.
And, they do sound more authentic (whatever that may be) than any number of alt-country bands.
But, what makes them stand above the crowd is their willingness to experiment and to incorporate some, distinctly uncommercial (even by 1972 standards) sounds.
The sidemen are first rate and sound is tight and slick. Brewer and Shipley produced themselves and this is a fine sounding album. All, that is missing is a hit.
I find these lesser known albums of artists in their decline fascinating, mainly because people usually disregard them. But if you are good enough to put out good work in your prime there must be something of value that follows.
And that is the case here.
All songs by Brewer & Shipley unless otherwise noted.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side A
- Yankee Lady – (Jesse Winchester) – First appearance on the authors self-titled debut album from 1970. It is often covered including versions by Tim Hardin, Ian Matthews Southern Comfort, Melanie. This is a good version though, the song itself is undeniably good.
- Sleeping On The Way – a strident rumination, on something.
- When The Truth Finally Comes – there has always been a slightly religious zeal in even the most secular of Brewer & Shipley's work, and this is no exception. It is quite good and full of the utopian optimism of the late 60s.
- Where Do We Go From Here – the flipside to late 60s optimism, the questioning and querying of soiety. This is a great song done with an old-timey Americana sound reminiscent of Jim Kweskin or the Kinks circa "Muswell Hillbillies" (1971)
- Blue Highway – (David Getz, Nick Gravenites) – both writers were members of Big Brother & The Holding Company though I don’t think the song was recorded by them. This a gentle stroll of a song which you can see (hear) as a travelling blues.
Side B
- Fly Fly Fly – (Steve Cash) – Cash is a singer, percussionist and harmonica player with southern rock group The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. The band was going at the time but hadn’t recorded yet. Another old-timey piece of American with folk duo vocals. Interestingly, or perhaps just out of completeness, the song title on the label has following it in brackets: "This Seat is Occupado".
- Crested Butte – (Brewer) – country rock with folk harmonies.
- Got to Get Off The Island – country rock with soft rock overtones. Given the oceanic references (island) and its laid back nature this could pass for a Jimmy Buffet tune.
- Black Sky – (Steve Cash) – Another one from Cash of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. This appeared on their self-titled debut album from 1973. Country rock.
- Have A Good Life – Brewer & Shipley seems to be musically channelling native American spirituality crossed with European religiosity. A fitting end to the album though hardly a toe tapper.
And …
Very pleasant and occasionally inspired. Certainly, it should be better known … I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
Nothing nowhere.
Sounds
Whole album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVboAdGn8l0&list=PLCkfWEqPsZeSB83_uEEVPe3-JflNhEz8R
Yankee Lady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVboAdGn8l0
Where Do We Go From Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkLS2UdLT7k
Blue Highway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXmoTN0FJoE
Fly Fly Fly
mp3 attached
Got to Get Off the Island
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpUs8X0plDI&index=8&list=PLCkfWEqPsZeSB83_uEEVPe3-JflNhEz8R
Have a Good Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR95gyOdSQM
Others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNKL9onYB_8
Review
https://www.allmusic.com/album/rural-space-mw0000837533
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Space
Bio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewer_%26_Shipley
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brewer-shipley-mn0000935990/biography
http://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2011/08/brewer-shipley-interview-with-tom.html
Website
http://www.brewerandshipley.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brewer-Shipley/185181440142?fref=ts
Trivia
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Personnel:
- Mike Brewer, Tom Shipley – Vocals & Guitars
- Billy Mundi – Drums (sessionman and drummer of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros)
- Prairie Prince – Drums (sessionman and drummer for The Tubes, Journey, and Jefferson Starship from 1992-2008)
- Bill Vitt – Drums (sessionman who played with Jerry Garcia, Tom Fogerty, the Sons of Champlin and others) Paul Butterfield Blues Band in
- Fred Burton – Electric Guitars (sessionman who played mainly with Brewer & Shipley)
- Mark Naftalin – Piano, Organ & Vibes (member of Paul Butterfield Blues Band)
- John Kahn – Bass (sessionman and Kahn was Jerry Garcia's principal musical collaborator outside of the Grateful Dead)
- Phil Howe – Soprano Saxophone (Howe was a clarinet and saxophone player who ran his own jazz bands on the west coast http://jazzhotbigstep.com/642434.html
- Buddy Cage – Pedal Steel Guitar (sessionman and long-time member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage)
- Brewer & Shipley called it quits in 1979, reforming in 1986 and are still recording today … "In 1979, after more than a decade of writing, traveling, and performing, Brewer and Shipley parted company to pursue personal interests. Michael Brewer continued to make music, recording a solo album for Full Moon Records entitled "Beauty Lies". This release featured guest artists Linda Ronstadt and J.D. Souther, and was produced by longtime friend Dan Fogelberg. Tom Shipley began working as a television producer/director, eventually forming his own production company (Tarkio Communications). He later founded the Oral History of The Ozarks Project, a not-profit organization producing documentaries about life in the Missouri Ozarks … In 1986, at the request of KCFX (Kansas City) the duo reunited for a concert to celebrate the station's first birthday. Unsure of what to expect, having been out of the public eye for so long, the duo was overwhelmed as they walked on stage to over 10,000 cheering fans welcoming their return. Having come full circle from their days as staff songwriters living in Los Angeles, Brewer & Shipley began writing together again. Their first project? The soundtrack for one of Shipley's documentaries…the award winning, "Treehouse – An Ozark Story." … In recent years, the duo has witnessed rejuvenated interest in their music, beginning with BMG's purchase of their catalog and subsequent re-issue of the critically acclaimed "Tarkio" release. This was soon followed by the inclusion of "One Toke Over The Line" on the "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas Limited Edition 25th Anniversary CD" (Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Records). The same song was later featured on the "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" motion picture soundtrack (Geffen Records.). In addition, the duo was invited to contribute guest vocals to their trademark song on "Hempilation II" (Capricorn Records.). Brewer & Shipley continue to tour and record regularly, having released 2 albums of original material since reuniting – "Shanghai" and "Heartland.”” https://citywinery.com/boston/brewer-shipley-9-10-18.html
