BIOGRAPHYby Richard Skelly
The folk-rock duo Aztec Two-Step formed after a chance meeting between Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman in 1971. The pair met at an open stage at the Stone Phoenix, a Boston coffee house. Within a few months of working together, they recorded their debut as Aztec Two-Step, and a few months later, they had a deal with Elektra Records.
The duo's self-titled major label debut was released in 1972 to widespread critical acclaim; joined by John Sebastian, Doug Dillard and Jerry Yester, among others, the album spawned the early-'70s radio hit "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On the Road)." Shulman (born and raised in New York) and Fowler (born and raised in a small town in Maine) didn't record their follow-up Second Step until three years later, followed by Two's Company (1976) and Adjoining Suites (1977). As folk-rock fell out of fashion in the mid- and late-'70s, the duo continued to tour in support of their earlier albums. In 1979, Aztec Two-Step recorded and released The Times of Our Lives and then took a long hiatus from recording while continuing to tour around the U.S. and Europe.
Finally, in 1986, the duo recorded Living in America for Reflex Records, which won a 1987 New York Music Award for Best Folk Album. They followed it up three years later with See It Was like This in 1989 for the Flying Fish label. Aztec Two-Step's 1990s releases included 1993's Of Age and an album recorded live at three different New York coffee houses in December, 1995, Highway Signs. In 1996, Fowler also recorded a short cassette of solo material about the sport of golf, one of his lifelong passions.
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REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A pleasing example of soft singer/songwriter folk-rock from the early '70s, Aztec Two Step is a consistent effort from the duo of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman that might appeal to fans of James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, and Seals & Crofts. Sometimes their pretensions get the better of them (as on "The Persecution & Restoration of Dean Moriarty [On the Road]"), but overall, the album is quite enjoyable.
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TRACKS
1 Baking Fowler 2:48
2 Killing Me Fowler 3:59
3 The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On the Road) Fowler 4:17
4 The Infidel Fowler 4:42
5 So Easy Shulman 1:48
6 Prisoner Fowler 4:35
7 Strangers Fowler 5:14
8 Almost Apocalypse Fowler 3:51
9 Dancers All Shulman 3:25
10 Cockroach Cacophony Fowler 4:42
11 Highway Song Fowler 6:41
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CREDITS
Randy Benson Vocals
Doug Dillard Banjo
Rex Fowler Guitar, Vocals
Peter Klimes Banjo
Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane Vocals
John Sebastian Harmonica, Horn
John Seiter Drums, Vocals
Neal Shulman Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Bobby Torres Conductor, Conga
David Vaught Bass
Dennis Witcher Vocals
Jerry Yester Banjo, Piano, Strings, Autoharp, Celeste, Vocals, Producer
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