Red, White, and Blues Image?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by steve phillips, Dec 4, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    NC
    I picked this album up for a dollar on a whim because I always liked "Ride Captain Ride," and I knew that Kent Henry and Skip Konte came from this band. I really like it, and have become a fan. I was pleased to see that Podolor and Cooper recorded this at American Recording. It certainly has that classic warmth that I love. Is anyone else out there into this album or band?
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
    Mechanical Man likes this.
  2. andy749

    andy749 Senior Member

    I like Blues Image but was leary of this one because I thought Mike Pinera wasn't on it. He left for Iron Butterfly.
     
  3. FillmoreGuy

    FillmoreGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    springfield nj
    Their S/T 1st album is my favorite. It's available as a 2fer with RW&B on cd. Joe Lala also worked with Steve Stills and others as well.
     
    steve phillips likes this.
  4. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    NC
    It's a different sound than the Pinera line-up for sure, but I think it's great. I always liked Kent Henry for his work in Steppenwolf, so it's an easy sell for me.
     
  5. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    NC
    I'll be looking for that one and "Open." I like what Joe Lala did in Manassas, and the millions of sessions he did.
     
    Chemguy likes this.
  6. Tjjirak

    Tjjirak Active Member

    Location:
    Colorado
    The first live concert I ever saw was in 1970, Three Dog Night, when they were at their best. But the warmup band completely blew me away...Blues Image. The BI set was basically the Open album, cover to cover. Amazing. I went right out and bought the album, which remains one of my favorites to this day.

    Guitarist Mike Pinera was terrific in those days. Melodic solos that developed and went some where, not just pentatonic patterns. And the guitar tone on that album is killer, just the right bite and sustain from his a Cherry red Gibson ES335. And fantastic tank reverb with great body and tails. But the whole band was top notch, including Skip Konte on keys (later with Three Dog Night) and Joe Lala on congas and percussion (later in Stephen Stills’ Manassas and Joe Walsh’s Barnstorm).

    Open was their second album. The first, self-titled, album is good, but for me it’s just a prelude for the better production and tighter playing on Open. Interesting that one of Pinera’s great solos on Open was virtually a note-for-note solo he played on a different tune on the first album.

    By the time of the third album, Red, White and Blues Image, Pinera was gone. In fact, I think he left while they were polishing Open and played only one of the solos on Ride Captain Ride (Kent Henry played the other, I believe). The sultry blues and rock edge wasn’t the same on the third album. Still a solid and enjoyable album. Well worth a place in your collection.

    After leaving Blues Image, Mike Pinera and guitarist Rhino joined Iron Butterfly, replacing Erik Brann. Keyboardist Doug Ingle moved from his Vox Continental to a Hammond B3 at that time, for a more beefy organ sound. The resulting album, Iron Butterfly Metamorphosis, is an under-appreciated treasure of heavy psychedelic rock. I still love it. Pinera and Rhino stayed long enough to tour in support of Metamorphosis, and there are a couple live albums featuring the Metamorphosis tunes that are really good.

    Pinera moved on and was in Ramatam for a while, and then a fairly long stint with Alice Cooper. He also released a couple solo albums. I tried to follow his career, but none of his later work shows much of the excellence he displayed with Blues Image and Iron Butterfly. But for me, Open and Metamorphosis remain staples in my collection to this day.
     
  7. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    NC
    Great post, I've been a Three Dog Night fan since I heard "One" on AM radio in '69. Still love to play their albums.
    I wish I had seen that show you saw. Great first concert for you. I didn't start going to concerts until '73, so I missed
    TDN's prime which was 1970 as you said. I have Open on CD. Great album, but I need a vinyl copy. Ride Captain Ride
    was one of my favorite songs back then. You're right Kent Henry played the first solo and Mike played the second one.
     
  8. Tjjirak

    Tjjirak Active Member

    Location:
    Colorado
    Thanks. The Three Dog Night concert was in Phoenix where I was visiting my grandparents. The next summer, we were visiting Phoenix again. After the great concert the year before, we checked the papers and found that weekend TDN was in town again. We bought tickets and so my second concert experience was also Three Dog Night, but this time the warmup band was an act I had never heard of, called the Doobie Brothers.
     
  9. Frank Discussion

    Frank Discussion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Similar experience in Phoenix, AZ.
    The bill was Alice Cooper, Blues Image, and headliner Iron Butterfly.
    Blues Image were on fire!!!
     
  10. Tjjirak

    Tjjirak Active Member

    Location:
    Colorado
    Amazing, and Pinera was eventually in all three bands.
     
    Frank Discussion likes this.
  11. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Yeah, there are some really good songs on Red WHite & Blues-- "The Good Life," "It's the Truth" and "Ain't No Rules in California" (which may be a Pinera leftover? Sounds like him anyway).

    Pinera wound up in this oddball version of Cactus, which cut this obvious "Ride Captain Ride" knockoff. Would love to know how that came about.

     
    Tjjirak and Frank Discussion like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine