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ROUGH MIX



Hey all, heres a review I wrote of Rough Mix for my Small Faces members
newsletter...

I was surprisingly pleased when I first heard this album because
basically I didn't know what to expect. I imagined it was some kind of
"Small Faces meets the Who" kind of thing with the thrashing of Pete's
guitars and the melodic singing of Ronnie but I was entirely wrong. What
I did find were great little well crafted up-beat ballardy sort of
songs, real catchy from two 'top' musicians. I've listened to it quite 
a few times now and its grown to be one of my favourite Ronnie Lane
projects.
 
Heres what Pete Townsend has to say on the subject: " I was feeling like
an old man then someone came along to snap me out of this lethargy -
Ronnie Lane. The bassist, late of the Small Faces Mod band. Ronnie had
fallen on lean times, and he reached out to his old pal for help on his
latest album. 'I was having a brain trauma quipped Ronnie'. He nagged me
to do it says Pete :0)
 
At first glance Lane & Townsend seemed an odd pairing. Ron favoured
lovelorn ballads in a pithy Dylanesque vein; Pete belted out hard
nuggets of revelation and angst. Yet they had common ground as well.
Both were ex-Mods not to mention their self-deprecating sence of humour
and instinctive, if contrasting, flair for composistion.
 
In the winter of 1976 and spring of 77, Townshend cautiously entered a
world of gentle Gaelic influences of acoustic mandolins, violins, and
acordions whose sounds still echo in the pastoral folds of the British
countryside. With Eric Clapton , Charlie Watts, and Billy Nicholls
adding their talents, Townshend and Lane combined efforts on each others
composisions, even playing on each others tracks. Surprisingly. Lane had
more influence on Townsend than the other way round.
 
Pete: "Ronnie's contribution to my stuff was much deeper, he has always 
encouraged me to do stuff away from the mainstream Who cliche. You can
get in a rut and it must effect the way you work. On a song like "Street
In The City" It's something I wouldn't have done before. Ron was knocked
out when we heard the playbacks. It gave me a kick to see that."
 
'Street In The City' was indeed a departure for it's composer, with its
lavish string orchestration and clever lyrics seemingly snatched from a
Sondheim musical.

Other gems on the album include 'Catmelody' which I think is a classic
little jazzy rock n roll song, brilliant saxaphone from Mel Collins.
'Annie' is a poignant, folksy tune in which Lane's sincerity shines
through, summoning visions of a lost relationship still piercing the
heart of the singer.  'April Fool' 'Till The Rivers All Run Dry' 'Keep
Me Turning' are all awesome and it is well worth buying the cd.
 
The finished album, entitled "Rough Mix", was released in September 1977
to great critical acclaim and was named Album Of The Year by Rolling
Stone.
 
Full tracks:  MY BABY GIVES IT AWAY * NOWHERE TO RUN * ROUGH MIX * ANNIE
* KEEP ME TURNING * CATMELODY * MISUNDERSTOOD * APRIL FOOL * STREET IN
THE CITY * HEART TO HANG ONTO * TILL THE RIVERS ALL RUN DRY.
 
Some quotes were taken from the book 'Behind Blue Eyes - A Life Of Peter 
Townshend'.
                                                                                                           
MICK TAYLOR.