Ivar Avenue Reunion " Ivar Avenue Reunion" 1970 US Psych/Blues Rock.
Merryweather recorded the album "Neil Merryweather John Richardson and Boers" for the blues label Kent in early 1970.
The resulting album, credited to Merryweather, ex-The Ugly Ducklings drummer Robin Boers, guitarist John Richardson from Nucleus (and before that Lords of London), and ex-49th Parallel member JJ Velker attracted only limited interest, as did a follow-up album for RCA, "Ivar Avenue Reunion", featuring the same basic group plus Goldberg, Musselwhite and Merryweather's new girlfriend, ex-CK Strong singer Lynn Carey..
The record-consuming public of the '70s was enthusiastic enough about jam sessions to have been offered all kinds of products such as this album, the contents of which beg the question of just what is a jam session, anyway? In this case, the liner notes hint at a casual get-together of various friends, with the cast of characters extending well beyond the confines of the four names listed under the album title. The music these individuals come up with is more like the type of song material rock artists put on a formal album.
There is really not much jamming, other than a concluding group improvisation given the title of "Toe Jam," an unappetizing decision seeing how it is preceded by "Walkin' Shoes" and "Run, Run Children" before that. This hint of an obsession with sweaty feet is the only consistent thing about an album that is simply all over the place, depending on who is taking charge of any given song. Charlie Musselwhite can do a shuffle blues, so he contributes that. Barry Goldberg is a familiar hand at jams, but also co-writes songs with vocalist Lynn Carey that require a flutist and French horn player to augment the group. In the former case, hiring one that plays out of tune is not something that benefits the song at all. On the plus side, certain types of grooves are nailed dead-on.
The recording aggregation, who collectively pose on the back cover and for the most part do not look like people one would want to invite over for the evening, bite down solidly on an Otis Spann cover entitled "After While." It is the "Smokestack Lightning" groove, with the results actually an improvement over the sound of Musselwhite's own blues recordings. "Fast Train" is a good example of type of joyous but overlong rock-gospel tracks that were popular in the '70s, with solid vocalizing from Carey. ? Eugene Chadbourne..
Charlie Musselwhite - Harmonica, Vocals, Performer
Barry Goldberg - Organ, Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Neil Merryweather - Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
Robin Boers - Drums
Lynn Carey - Vocals
Louise Di Tullio - Flute
Sidney George - Clarinet
