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Baxter. Duke

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Everybody Know Matilda

                 



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Format: LP     Want this on CD also?

Condition: VG+ COVER / VG+ LP (cover/media)    More Info
Label: Vmc VS 138
Country: Us
Released: 1969
Genre: pop
Num In Set: 1
Quantity: 1 in stock
Seller Ref:   3316

So here's a guy who's lived under a wide number of alias - Duke Baxter, Dudley Ford Baxter, James Blake, and Jim Shaman.
Even though the title of his debut album left me with the impression he was Australian, Baxter was apparently born in the UK who seemingly moved to Canada as a child.   He started his professional musical career playing and recording with The Rob Roys and the band Revelation (two mid--'60s Canadian bands).   There's also an obscure single credited to Duke Baxter and the Midnight Snack.   I'm pretty sure it's the same, guy, but not 100% certain.
   The Rob Roys
- 1966's 'Do You Girl?' b/w 'Yes I Do' (Accent catalog number # AC 1312)
   Revelation
- 1968's 'Cotton Candy Weekend' b/w 'Wait and See' (Music Factory catalog number MU 412)
- 1968's 'Kiss Your Mind Goodbye' b/w "Dorplegank' )Combine catalog number # 45-12)
   Duke Baxter and the Midnight Specials
- 196? 'Hunger' b/w 'Me Tarzan, you Jane Baby' (Arf! Arf! catalog number 211)
By 1969 Baxter had struck out as a solo act, signing to Steve Vail's small, Los Angeles-based Vance Music Corporation (VMC)   label.    Teamed with producer Tony Harris and members of the famed Wrecking Crew, 1969's "Everybody Knows Matilda" showcased a dozen Baxter originals and served as one of the most varied and inconsistent albums in my collection.   Occasionally you'll hear an artist tagged as a chameleon.   That's a pretty apt description for Baxter who over these two sides managed to touch on everything from kitschy county 'The 53rd Card In the Deck', to Jimmy Webb-styled pop ('John Q. Citizen') with nods to 'Eleanor Rigby'-styled Baroque pop ('Don't Hurt Us'), and   blue-eyed soul ('Crosstown Woman').   Baxter certainly had a nice voice that was capable of handling all sorts of genre, but it was impossible to tell where he was coming from on this set.   The album almost sounded like a demo intended to showcase how varied the guy was.   Super inconsistent, but there were some highlights including the title track, 'Crosstown Woman', 'Static Interference ' and the third single 'John Q. Citizen'.
"Everybody Knows Matlida" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Everybody Knows Matilida   (Duke Baxter) - 2:43    rating: **** stars
Trying to describe 'Everybody Knows Matilda' is tough ...   It had the same over-the-top, pretentious edge as something Jimmy Webb might have written for Richard Harris (think along the lines of 'Macarthur Park').   It had a risque plotline that probably kept many radio stations for playing the tune.   At the same time the refrain was lethally catchy.   Hard to not remember this one once you've heard it.    I'm guessing that's why VMC tapped it as a single:
- 1969's 'Everybody Knows Matilida' b/w 'I Ain't No Schoolboy' (VMC catalog number V 740A/B) # 52 pop
2.) I Ain't No School Boy   (Duke Baxter) - 2:45    rating: *** stars
'I Ain't No School Boy' was a top-40ish blue-eyed soul number.   It was a bit too MOR-ish for my tastes; Baxter simply sounded like he was trying a tad too hard and the MOR horns didn't help either.    The tune appeared as the flip side to the title track 45.
3.) Crosstown Woman   (Duke Baxter) - 2:06    rating: **** stars
Hum, 'Crosstown Woman' found Baxter seemingly trying to add a bit of funk to his repertoire.   Always loved the accordion in the mix - kind of South African jive feeling.   Actually, on this one his vocals have always reminded me of BS&T's David Clayton-Thomas.   The backing vocals were by The Arrangement (a group also signed to VMC).  
4.) Mississippi Gentry   (Duke Baxter) - 2:52    rating: *** stars
If you're my age, you may remember there was an early-'70s wave of Dutch bands that scored minor hits with "Americanized" pop hits ... bands like the George Baker Selection, The Shocking Blue, The Tee set.    'Mississippi Gentry' reminded me of one of those tunes.   It wasn't half bad.   Actually, quite catchy.   Giving credit where due, this one at least boasted a nice fuzz guitar solo.

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Bad Cat Records

Bad Cat Records (Virginia, United States)

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