Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Babe Ruth
Label: Repertoire Records
Released: 1972
Rating: 4.5/5
“First Base” was the first album from this legendary band and also their biggest commercial success. Rightly so, because it’s one of the best debut rock albums of the first half of the 70s. The album sails with great success along the line that separates hard rock from progressive rock. The band’s two driving forces are, without a doubt, the punchy guitar of the overlooked guitar wizard Alan Shacklock, who doesn’t skimp on wildly inventive motifs on his rhythm guitar and also wrote most of the songs, and the hugely energetic vocals of singer Janita “Jennnie” Haan, whose voice often sounds like a reincarnation of Janis Joplin. Besides the original lineup, the album also features a string and choir ensemble (four musicians playing cello, Brent Carter on saxophone and Caspar Lawal on extra percussion). Shacklock wrote all the arrangements and co-produced the album with Nick Mobbs. Interestingly, most of the songs carry the spirit of the Wild West, or the Mexican border, which suggests the band members were clearly keen western fans. Shacklock’s guitar, with its signature bluesy sound, adds its own flavor too.
The album opens with the red-hot hard rock blast “Wells Fargo”, a song named after the famous company that turned up in so many westerns. Shacklock’s punchy, blues-leaning riff, a grooving rhythm line and Haan’s ferociously energetic vocals grab you in an instant. Janita was one of those extremely rare female rock singers with a great voice and incredible range who could hold her own against her male colleagues in rock. In that sense, the comparisons to Janis Joplin come naturally. The backing vocals and rich saxophone parts add even more breadth to the song. A real treat for anyone who loves authentic hard rock. After such a punchy start, most listeners, especially hard rock fans, naturally expect the band to carry on at the same “sharpened” tempo. But Babe Ruth are much more than just a hard rock band, and their musical horizons are far too wide to stick to a single aspect. Their progressive sound comes out in a proper Celtic symphonic ballad, “The Runaways”, a completely different kind of song where you can basically hear a completely different band. It’s a song full of Celtic melody, which is typical of many British prog rock bands of the time, but with the important difference that there’s also a pinch of Mexican melody in there. Janita’s vocals are totally different here too, without her usual “masculine” tone, which fits this melodic and beautiful ballad nicely. It proves she doesn’t just have an incredibly powerful voice but also a remarkably versatile one. The orchestral arrangements on keyboards, oboe, cello and piano are very solid and show that the band had broad musical horizons. Of course, there were plenty of bands at the time that handled this kind of symphonic arrangement better, but Babe Ruth never pushed too hard into symphonic territory, since at their core they were a blues rock band. Next comes an excellent cover of the well-known Frank Zappa instrumental “King Kong” (Uncle Meat, 1969), which is every bit as witty and musically perfectionist as the original. Shacklock arranged the song in an almost entirely jazzy outfit, so here we get to hear yet another of the band’s many musical faces. The song features a wonderful solo on keyboards and electric piano. But the real thing to admire here is Shacklock’s guitar artistry. It’s undoubtedly an impressive and gutsy cover, because few bands at the time dared to interpret such an extraordinary guitarist and musical genius as Zappa. “Black Dog” is the song that best combines the band’s two sides, the punchy and the experimental, and its mood is as beautiful as it is sad. The first part, mostly instrumental, features excellent piano solos. In the second part Janita returns in all her energy and explosion of emotion, with her vocals in a high register, and the listener gets the feeling that it would be anything but wise to cross her. Shacklock’s guitar solos add a deeply melancholic touch and proper three-part harmonies, so on first listen it feels like you’re hearing two guitars instead of one. The song ends in an incredibly dramatic way. “The Mexican” is a band classic that opens with a wonderfully witty and original riff, joined by a brilliant piano solo. Its final section also contains a well-known motif that spaghetti western fans will recognize right away. It’s a motif from the classic work of Ennio Morricone, from Sergio Leone’s film “For a Few Dollars More” (originally “Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu”) starring Clint Eastwood. The song successfully explores elements of Mexican music through a combination of dynamic keyboards, a solid bass line, inventive guitar solos and energetic vocals. At its epic core, the song is very uplifting. “Joker” is another original mid-tempo hard rock song, heavily influenced by the blues, with a real vocal dialogue between Janita and Shacklock. Haan once again pours her whole soul into it and shows why she was one of the finest singers of her time. Shacklock’s fast-fingered solos then carry the song to its finish.
The Repertoire Records version also includes two bonus tracks: a shortened version of “Wells Fargo” and “Theme From a Few Dollars More”, where you can hear their take on the Morricone classic.
With its complex songs, tasteful arrangements, wonderful vocals and innovative, intelligent guitar solos, “First Base” will charm fans of good, intelligent hard rock as well as those prog rock fans who don’t swear by sheer complexity and long compositions, but understand the term “progressive” much more broadly. It’s a real shame the band never managed to get greater recognition, since they had everything it took. Bandleader Alan Shacklock is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked guitar geniuses. The same goes for Haan, whom every Janis Joplin fan should hear. The album cover was painted by the famous cover artist Roger Dean, whom music fans know as the artist behind the covers of many well-known (Yes being the best known among them) and lesser-known rock bands. The album is a pure win and one of the best debuts in both genres (prog as well as hard rock). “First Base” is one of those forgotten classics you absolutely can’t afford to overlook.
Lineup
Janita Haan – vocals
Alan Shacklock guitar, backing vocals, organ, percussion
Dave Hewitt – bass guitar
Dick Powell – drums
Dave Punshon – piano
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Gaspar Lawal – congas, bongos, cabasa
Brent Carter – saxophone
Harry Mier – oboe
Peter Halling – cello (leader)
Clive Anstee – cello
Manny Fox – cello
Boris Rickleman cello
Jeff Allen – drums (on “The Runaways”)
Production
Alan Shacklock, Nick Mobbs
Track list
1. Wells Fargo (6:17)
2. The Runaways (7:27)
3. King Kong (6:44)
4. Black Dog (8:03)
5. The Mexican (5:49)
6. Joker (7:43)
Album length: 42:03
