Stoneground (album)
Encyclopedia
Stoneground is the debut studio album by American rock
band Stoneground
, released in 1971 on Warner Bros.
The album featured seven different lead vocalist
s, including Sal Valentino
(formerly of The Beau Brummels
) on four of the album's ten songs.
The band recorded an attempt at a debut album in London for Warner Bros. but it was not released.
While in England, the band added keyboardist Pete Sears
to its lineup.
For Stoneground, seven different lead vocalists were used, with Sal Valentino
singing lead on four of the album's ten songs. Valentino wrote five of the six originals on the album, which also contained covers
of songs recorded by The Kinks
, Reverend Gary Davis
, John D. Loudermilk
and John Mayall
.
wrote: "Stoneground has a lot of advance publicity to live up to, and in light of their first LP
the predictions may have been somewhat inflationary, though there's no denying the potential for excitement here."
Music journalist Robert Christgau
asserted that the album was "certainly the aptest use of Sal Valentino since the Beau Brummels
were on Autumn
."
Bob Koch of Isthmus
suggested it sounded "more like a compilation album than one band," but that it also "showed the group's promise well; most of the singers are distinctive and the playing is great. The musicians' ability to fluidly mix and match musical styles makes for a more interesting brand of hippie
rock than is the case for many similarly jammy supersized bands of the era." Allmusic's Lindsay Planer said the Valentino compositions "bear repeated listens and hint at this group's truly great potential." Author Vernon Joynson complimented Tim Barnes' guitar work and said the album "used several vocalists to good effect."
American rock
American rock is rock music from the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and country music, and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music. The creation of American rock music was highly influenced by the British Invasion of the American pop...
band Stoneground
Stoneground
Stoneground was a rock band formed in 1970 in Concord, California. Originally a trio, Stoneground expanded to a 10-piece band by the time of their eponymous 1971 debut album. The group appeared in two films, Medicine Ball Caravan and Dracula A.D. 1972 , and released three albums before singer Sal...
, released in 1971 on Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
The album featured seven different lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
s, including Sal Valentino
Sal Valentino
Sal Valentino is an American rock musician, singer and songwriter, best known as lead singer of The Beau Brummels, subsequently becoming a songwriter as well. The band released a pair of top 20 U.S...
(formerly of The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino , Ron Elliott , Ron Meagher , Declan Mulligan , and John Petersen...
) on four of the album's ten songs.
Background and composition
During the early 1970s, Stoneground built buzz as a touring act.The band recorded an attempt at a debut album in London for Warner Bros. but it was not released.
While in England, the band added keyboardist Pete Sears
Pete Sears
Peter 'Pete' Sears is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than four decades he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock of the 1960s, folk, country music, arena rock in the 1970s, and blues...
to its lineup.
For Stoneground, seven different lead vocalists were used, with Sal Valentino
Sal Valentino
Sal Valentino is an American rock musician, singer and songwriter, best known as lead singer of The Beau Brummels, subsequently becoming a songwriter as well. The band released a pair of top 20 U.S...
singing lead on four of the album's ten songs. Valentino wrote five of the six originals on the album, which also contained covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of songs recorded by The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
, John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk is an American singer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Durham, North Carolina, Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin...
and John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
.
Critical reception
In a review for the album, BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
wrote: "Stoneground has a lot of advance publicity to live up to, and in light of their first LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
the predictions may have been somewhat inflationary, though there's no denying the potential for excitement here."
Music journalist Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
asserted that the album was "certainly the aptest use of Sal Valentino since the Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino , Ron Elliott , Ron Meagher , Declan Mulligan , and John Petersen...
were on Autumn
Autumn Records
Autumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Its most prominent contract was considered The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little"....
."
Bob Koch of Isthmus
Isthmus (newspaper)
Isthmus is an alternative weekly newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1976, and has built a reputation for authoritative writing on news, arts and features. The paper prints more than 60,000 copies each Thursday, reaching an estimated 40% of all adults in Dane County, which includes...
suggested it sounded "more like a compilation album than one band," but that it also "showed the group's promise well; most of the singers are distinctive and the playing is great. The musicians' ability to fluidly mix and match musical styles makes for a more interesting brand of hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
rock than is the case for many similarly jammy supersized bands of the era." Allmusic's Lindsay Planer said the Valentino compositions "bear repeated listens and hint at this group's truly great potential." Author Vernon Joynson complimented Tim Barnes' guitar work and said the album "used several vocalists to good effect."