Vinegar Joe-Rock´n´Roll Gypsies (1972)

Vinegar Joe were another of those great, short-lived British bands of the 1970s who made a name for themselves with just three albums released. Formed in 1970 under the name Dada, their initial lineup consisted of a dozen musicians, including vocalist Elkie Brooks, guitarist Pete Gage, bassist Steve York, drummer Conrad Isidore, keyboardist Dave Thompson, and saxophonist Dave Brooks.With this lineup, they recorded their self-titled album, "Dada", in 1970 for Atlantic Records, a work brimming with jazz, soul, psychedelia, and blues sounds, influenced by the soulful style of artists on the American label Stax Records. After a long tour of the United States, the band returned to the UK and changed their name to Vinegar Joe, also restructuring the lineup with the addition of singer Robert Palmer, keyboardist Tim Hinkley, and drummer Rob Tait. With a new contract, this time with Islands Records, they recorded their first album under their new name, titled "Vinegar Joe", which became one of the best albums of 1972 in the British Isles. But after this album, there were further lineup changes, with guitarist Jim Mullen, keyboardist Mike Deacon, and former John Mayall drummer Keef Hartley joining the band. With this new lineup, they recorded their second album, "Rock 'n' Gypsies", where the band's usual soul and blues style was reinforced by a greater emphasis on rock elements. Tracks like the bluesy "Angel", a cover of a Jimi Hendrix song, and brilliant rock anthems such as "So Long", "Buddy Can You Spare Me A Line", "Falling", and "It's Getting To The Point", make up an outstanding work. In addition to the superb vocal performances of Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer, the band is supported by an excellent band in extraordinary form. After a successful tour of North America, the band released their third and final album, "Six Star General", which lacked some of the energy and creativity of their first two works. Some time later the band finally dissolved, with almost all of its members dedicating themselves to their solo careers, most notably Robert Palmer, who achieved remarkable success with some of his albums such as “Secrets” (1979), the multi-platinum “Riptide” (1985) and “Heavy Nova” (1988), or Elkie Brooks, who would begin a long and very prolific career, managing to place herself among the best British singers of all time.