Hour Glass - self-titled debut (1967/1992 EMI)
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Artist: Hour Glass
Album: Hour Glass
Released: 1967 / 1992
Source: Liberty
Genre: rock / southern rock
Review:
Review by Bruce Eder
Anyone buying this CD in search of revelations of Duane Allman's early playing is in for a disappointment, as Gregg Allman's voice, a soul choir, and a horn section dominate most of the stuff here, which is weighted toward a popular white soul sound, with the occasional intrusion of bits of psychedelic flotsam and jetsam. On the other hand, this isn't bad as a white soul-pop venture, with Gregg Allman, 20 years old at the time, turning in an extraordinary performance. And every so often Duane's playing cuts through with the basic band, as on the previously unissued outtake of "I've Been Trying" and the long-available "Love Makes the World Go Round." Alas, the bulk of the previously unissued cuts feature Gregg Allman and a group of unnamed session musicians, so one isn't going to find any lost links in Duane's life story there, either. But "I've Been Trying" and the bulk of the issued album are worth the price of this CD, assuming one cares about this brand of pop-soul.
The Hour Glass was the debut record by the group of the same name, issued in October 1967 on Liberty Records, the first of two by the group that featured the namesakes of The Allman Brothers Band.
The album was recorded by a group saddled by a producer unable to quite realize the group's potential. Dallas Smith, a formulaic producer noted for his work with Bobby Vee, knew the group was from the South. He knew they had formed from the ashes of groups that had performed liberal amounts of blues covers. And he heard soulful qualities in the voice of nineteen-year-old Gregg Allman. Therefore, he referred to them as a "Motown band", much to the chagrin of the group [1].
The Hour Glass was recorded with an emphasis on lead vocalist Gregg Allman's voice and dispensing with nearly all original material. Of the eleven tracks on the original LP, only one was penned by a group member, Gregg Allman's "Got To Get Away". The remaining ten were written by songwriters running the gamut from Curtis Mayfield and Jackson Browne to Del Shannon and the Goffin-King team. The Hour Glass performed the basic tracks, which were overdubbed by Smith with layers of vocals and instrumentation.
The album was a failure in both sales terms and in properly showcasing the group. On the follow-up, 1968's Power of Love, the group would be given a bigger role in the making of the album.
The album is currently available on the Hour Glass anthology. The 1992 reissue on EMI, rife with bonus tracks, has fallen out of print, the bonus tracks now available on the 2004 album Southbound.
Track listing
"Out of the Night" (Alex Moore and Bob Welch) - 1:57
"Nothing But Tears" (Jimmy Radcliffe and B. J. Scott) - 2:28
"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" (Deon Jackson) - 2:42
"Cast off All My Fears" (Jackson Browne) - 3:31
"I've Been Trying" (Curtis Mayfield) - 2:40
"No Easy Way Down" (Gerry Goffin and Carole King) - 3:20
"Heartbeat" (Ed Cobb) - 4:52
"So Much Love" (Gerry Goffin and Carole King) - 2:57
"Got to Get Away" (Gregg Allman) - 2:14
"Silently" (Dan Bourgoise and Del Shannon) - 2:48
"Bells" (Edgar Allan Poe, arr. Peter Alin) - 2:24
"In a Time" (Paul Hornsby) - 2:17
"I've Been Trying" (alternate version) (Curtis Mayfield) - 2:35
"Kind of a Man" (Composer Unknown) - 3:07
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman) - 3:12
"She Is My Woman" (Composer Unknown) - 2:38
"Bad Dream" (Gregg Allman) - 3:37
"Three Time Loser" (Don Covay-Ronald Miller) - 2:40
Tracks 1-11 constitute the original album.
Tracks 12-13 are outtakes from the album.
Tracks 14-18 are tracks from aborted 1968 and 1969 sessions by Gregg Allman (present on 1992 re-release only).
Gregg Allman – organ, piano, vocal
Duane Allman – guitars, vocal (tracks 1-13)
Paul Hornsby – piano, organ, vocal (tracks 1-13)
Johnny Sandlin – drums (tracks 1-13)
Mabron McKinney – bass (tracks 1-13)
Several unknown studio musicians on horns, guitars, backing vocals, drums, bass, banjo, keyboards and percussion
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