"WARTS AND ALL" |
Released January, 2000 |
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FROM THE ARCHIVES OF ADMIRAL HALSEY! Back in January of 2000, John Halsey released the first official live Patto CD. "Warts and All" features performances from a 1971 gig at the Black Swan, Sheffield, recorded while the band was busy recording their "Hold Your Fire" album. It was an unusual gig. Mike's throat was a bit sore, so Ollie sang more than usual and they pulled out some numbers they hadn't done for a while. The show was a little rough around the edges, and that is why the CD title and layout of the booklet are as they are. It captures the only time Ollie ever sang "San Antone" live. "Let It Rock" includes an incredible guitar solo from Ollie that John says alone should justify the price of the CD! His solo in "San Antone" is amazing as well. The complete track listing is below. John included entertaining liner notes and a bunch of personal photos. I'm happy to say he included some of the silly, candid photos in his archives. He even included a picture of a 1971 gig contract from the Van Dyke, courtesy of yours truly. As the cover indicates, this is a recording from John's personal archives. It is not a studio quality recording and is not for those who demand high-fidelity recordings. As John says in the liner notes, "This recording was made by myself with a little cassette player with a built-in mike that was put on the side of the stage, and it is far from 'Studio' quality. Thankfully the vibe of the evening comes across and Ollie's incredible guitar playing was at its height." As you may expect with a thirty-year-old amateur recording on cassette tape, there are times when the sound is somewhat distorted and there's the odd dropout. However, it still sounds better than the other (non-BBC) live tapes that have surfaced thus far. "Warts and All" gives us devoted Patto fans nearly an hour of live Patto recordings to enjoy that would otherwise have sat in the bottom of a box forever. |
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THE SONGS: | |
1. YOU, YOU POINT YOUR FINGER | 7. ROUTE 66 |
2. MONEY BAG | 8. TELL ME WHERE YOU BEEN |
3. LET IT ROCK | 9. SAN ANTONE |
4. MAGIC DOOR | 10. SITTIN' BACK EASY |
5. GOVERNMENT MAN | 11. BIG HUNK O' LOVE |
6. HOW'S YOUR FATHER (mistakenly listed as AIR-RAID SHELTER) |
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Back insert. The photo was taken on the roof of Club Noreik, Tottenham, London, circa 1970. | |
Inside of the CD booklet featuring various photos from John's archives, the 1972 "Roll Em Smoke Em..." press photo, and a 1971 gig contract from the Van Dyke (courtesy of yours truly). | |
Back of the CD booklet featuring more photos from John's archives and a poem written by Ollie. The upper left photo was another taken on the roof of Club Noreik, but it's roadie Barnabus holding up the bass drum, not John. | |
The CD artwork, which is the 1972 "Roll Em Smoke Em..." press photo with John's enhancements. |
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Ordering information:
The Warts and All CD is now sold out, and there are no plans to manufacture additional copies. Many thanks to all who purchased their copies from the Patto Fan Site and elsewhere. Hope you're still enjoying them! If you are not able to find an official used copy, the good news is that the record is available as an mp3 download via Caves, the Ollie Halsall Archive. Click here to go to that site's "Warts and All" page. |