Search - Martha Velez :: Fiends & Angels

Fiends and Angels

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 07/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"38 minutes approximately. Good warm sound. Having bought this album back in the days of vinyl,I was surprised to see it on cd. Originally I purchased this on the strength of the back-up band. How could you go wrong with Clapton,Webb(of Chicken Shack)and Kossoff on guitar? Add to that Jack Bruce on bass,Brian Auger on organ,Christine McVie on keyboards,Jim Capaldi(Traffic)and Mitch Mitchell on drums,plus the rhythm section from Chicken Shack,the great Duster Bennett on harmonica,and the cream of session horn players at the time-it added up,hopefully,to some good music. I was not disappointed.



Combining several originals with a number of well-known tracks made this a great if unknown album. Velez's voice is similar to Bonnie Bramlett(of Delaney and Bonnie)with just a touch of Julie Driscoll. As was mentioned previously,the sound is straight out of the late sixties-a slight blending of instruments and voice that makes for a good,naturally warm sound. This is an advantage,for Velez's voice could easily sound harsh and cold in a digitally stark remastered version. As expected,the quality of the backing band is great and helps place this album above the average run of the mill release. On various tracks its easy to hear which guitarist is playing,and while there are no long solos,the arrangements are just fine.



It's a shame this album was not more well-known upon it's release,but with so many other albums,by so many great groups during this era,Velez's album was here and gone. Hopefully,it's release on cd may rectify this oversight-because this album is a prime example of the music recorded in an era of much great music. It's good to hear it again,and isn't that the mark of good music?"

In My Boyish Days

Pixman | Boston | 06/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just can't believe that after all these years, Fiends & Angels has come out on CD...and they've done a great job restoring it. I have FOR ALL THESE YEARS saved my original vinyl copy. Martha has a voice like no other and she thrills me everytime I listen to her. For Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, & Christine McVie fans, you need to add this to your collection. All the instrumentalists are fantastic. Again, I'm just so thrilled to be able to hear Martha in all her clarity. Just a fantastic collection of songs!!!"

An interesting piece of rock history

E. P. Eckart | SLC, UT, USA | 09/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album (I use that term because of my still having the vinyl) is most interesting because of all the famous folk who performed on it. A few more should be noted: Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain, Mick Weaver and Chris Mercer (all of the vastly underappreciated Keef Hartley Band); Chris Wood, John Almond, Richard Hayward, Stan Webb, the list goes on and on. It was even rumored that Jimi Hendrix was on it (not true). The instruments are pretty well recorded and the artists can be picked out easily, though Velez herself said that she thought it sounded "a little rough". Perhaps that adds some edge to the recording. Unfortunately, contrary to the other reviewers, I find it hard to listen to in entirety because Martha's voice is just too shrill for my liking. Still it is an intriguing vignette of rock history and the great well of outstanding talent that was knocking around London at the time.

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