Most people treat the Blue Ash story like a collection of "almosts" and they are sure missing the point.Almost famous, almost signed, almost the American Beatles. Forget that, erase that fable from your feeble grey matter. Dinner at Mr. Billy’s—straight from the Peppermint Productions vaults—proves they weren't just "lost" contenders. They were the engine room of the Rust Belt. While the rest of the world was sleeping off last night hangover, these guys were living in a van, playing 250 nights a year across Ohio and the "Burgh." They snuck past the sleeping, drooling guard, but the rest of the world was just too stoned or wait that might have been the band. Lol.
This isn't a pile of leftover dog scraps. It’s a map of a band that didn't know how to stop. Help the world is spinning and I can't get off! The core four—Jim Kendzor, Frank Secich, David Evans, and the late Bill "Cupid" Bartolin—were a songwriting factory. Losing Cupid in 2009 was heartbreaking, but hearing his lead work here is like a shot of caffeine. He and Secich had a chemistry that was pure premium gas( which ranged from 30 to 35 cents back then-gulp!).
Check (and mate)the 1970 Sigma Sound sessions. This is before anyone tried to glue a "power-pop" label to their foreheads. It’s heavy, grit-caked, and soulful. Even Wilson Pickett, watching from the booth, had to give it up: "You guys aren't bad... for white boys." He wasn't lying. "We’ll Live Tomorrow" is a dark, heavy tribute to Hendrix and Joplin that proves they had way more under the hood than just catchy hooks (not that there's a damn thing wrong with a hook).
The real meat is the Youngstown demos from '71 to '74. They had a deal at Peppermint for two days of studio time every month, and they didn't waste a second. Most of this was tracked live in one take—raw, caffeinated, and probably fueled by things stronger than coffee-shhhh.. Hey! it was the aftermath of the 60's.Tracks like "Abracadabra" and "She’s A Pleaser" sound better here than on the polished '73 debut! Okay dont' kill me kids; they’ve got more teeth.
The title track is the thumping heart of the thing. It’s a road-warrior anthem born from a joke Cupid made looking out the window on Route 51. He saw the sign and called it: "If we ever make an album, we've got to call it 'Dinner at Mr. Billy's'." It took fifty years to happen, but here it is in all it's glory. By the time "She Isn’t There" closes the set, you realize the world was wrong to look away. Give your head a shake and shame on you world. Mind you I think the world has bigger problems today!
If you think power-pop starts and ends with Big Star, you’re missing the point. This isn't a cheap dinner at Cracker Barrel, it’s a buffet. Undo your belt and let it all hang out!
