REVIEW TOE FAT (1970)by Eduardo Rivadavia
The late-'60s success of heavy-handed acts like Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Led Zeppelin instigated many British musicians — young and old — to grow their hair and start hard rock bands, and London's oddly named Toe Fat were no exception. Formed in June 1969 by veteran singer Cliff Bennett (ex-Rebel Rousers) with multi-talented guitarist and keyboard player Ken Hensley, bassist John Glascock, and drummer Lee Kerslake (all of them ex-Gods), Toe Fat quickly parlayed their respectable résumés into a deal with Parlophone in the U.K. and Rare Earth in the U.S. But their eponymous first album didn't pack nearly as much bombast as the musical titans named above, sounding more like contemporaries Savoy Brown, Status Quo, or Humble Pie (at about 75 percent of Steve Marriott's intensity). If anything, the group's typically midpaced, R&B-steeped fare owed as much to the on-the-wane British blues boom as anything hot and heavy; although at their best, memorable cuts like "That's My Love for You," "But I'm Wrong," "Working Nights," and the driving "You Tried to Take It All" cast out great hooks to match the band's top-notch musicianship and Bennett's emotionally soulful voice. Some controversy remains as to who really played on the record, but if Hensley was truly the man, as credited, he really takes over on "Nobody" (boasting wildly distorted fuzz guitars and extended soloing) and "I Can't Believe" (featuring more forceful guitar work and just as many keyboards), then strums along in suitably controlled fashion on the acoustic-laced "The Wherefors and the Whys." Speaking of dubious performances, largely forgotten Ian Anderson doppelgänger Mox was brought in to add flute to "Just Like All the Rest," which only serves to bring about inevitable Jethro Tull comparisons. But the album's two covers fare quite well, with "Just Like Me" delivering a punchy update on the standard popularized by the Coasters and Hollies, while the album's tough-rocking first single, "Bad Side of the Moon," was actually written by none other than the emerging Elton John/Bernie Taupin team (and would also be covered by Canadians April Wine a short time later). Unfortunately, although it met with widespread critical kudos, Toe Fat's debut was a resounding commercial flop, and may now be best remembered because of its curious, Hipgnosis-designed cover art, featuring toe-headed people lounging on a beach. The group would persist through one more album, but with Hensley and Kerslake already gone to form Uriah Heep (they had left even before Toe Fat's first American tour in support of Derek & the Dominos), that album's greater stylistic inconsistency did the band no favors.
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REVIEW TOE FAT II (1971)
by Eduardo Rivadavia
Having represented the first half of their curious moniker on the cover of album number one, Toe Fat proceeded to address the second on album number two, the imaginatively named Toe Fat II, with what appears to be a battle scene, pitting some species of alien lard against assorted roast chicken parts and a helpless bunch of grapes. Oh, and if you think that makes no sense, little else about the group's sophomore slump, which was released by Motown's rock imprint Rare Earth (Parlophone in the U.K.) does, either. For starters: recent lineup changes had seen founding members Ken Hensley and drummer Lee Kerslake depart for greater riches with a nascent Uriah Heep, and be replaced by Alan Kendall and Brian Glascock, respectively; bassist John Glascock was still being credited under the surname of Konas, for some mysterious reason; and aging frontman Cliff Bennett — a pre-British Invasion relic, famous for having fronted the Rebel Rousers — still seemed a bit unsure about this newfangled, heavy rock thing. As a result, confusion had also set in on the musical front, even though bluesy hard rock still predominated, thanks to the forceful riffs, hot licks, and weeping wah-wah provided by new six-stringer Kendall, which fueled engaging foot-stompers like "Since You've Been Gone" and "Midnight Sun," as well as ominous post-psych maulers such as "Idol" and "Three Tie Loser." The band was decidedly less focused on the album's remaining material, though, beginning with opener "Stick Heat" — a sprawling heavy rocker showing tentative doom tendencies, which, for some unfathomable reason, was prefaced by lonely banjo strums; proceeding with "There'll Be Changes" — a straight-up blues number, featuring an uncredited Peter Green cameo, and rather fitting harmonica work from band associate Moxy; and culminating in tentative flirtations with prog rock eclecticism on the atmospheric interlude "Indian Summer," and the half dainty/half rocking flower power anthem, "A New Way." In sum, Toe Fat's shtick was starting to smell a bit gamey, and there was little cause for surprise when it was revealed that the group had decided to cash in their chips even before the album's release in early 1971. Along with its superior predecessor, Toe Fat II would go on to collect dust in cut-out bins throughout the '70s before gaining newfound respect — as such albums do — when reappraised by hard rock enthusiasts decades later.
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Artist: Toe Fat
Album: Toe Fat & Toe Fat II
Release Date: 1996
Label: BGO
Type: Compilation
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TRACKS
1 That's My Love for You (Allan, Bennett, Roberts) 4:01
2 Bad Side of the Moon (John, Taupin) 3:24
3 Nobody (Beatty, Cooper, Shelby) 6:04
4 The Wherefores and the Whys (Bennett) 3:43
5 But I'm Wrong (Bennett) 4:00
6 Just Like Me (Carroll, Guy) 4:11
7 Just Like All the Rest (Bennett) 2:32
8 I Can't Believe (Bennett) 4:00
9 Working Nights (Bennett) 2:32
10 You Tried to Take It All (Bennett) 4:24
11 Stick Heat (Bennett, Kendall) 6:18
12 Indian Summer (Kendall) 2:07
13 Idol (Bennett, Kendall) 3:32
14 There'll Be Changes (Bennett, Kendall) 6:52
15 A New Way (Bennett, Kendall) 7:55
16 Since You've Been Gone (Bennett, Kendall) 4:48
17 Three Time Loser (Bennett, Kendall) 4:30
18 Midnight Sun (Bennett, Kendall) 4:43
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CREDITS
Cliff Bennett - Piano, Vocals
Ken Hensley - Organ, Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Lee Kerslake - Drums, Vocals
John Konas - Bass, Vocals
Mox - Flute, Harmonica
Brian Glascock - Drums, Vocals
Alan Kendall - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Ukulele
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BIOGRAPHY
by Bruce Eder
At the end of 1969, Cliff Bennett had seemingly run out his string as a British Invasion-era star. Seeking a new sound and image, he hooked up with keyboard player/singer Ken Hensley, bassist John Glascock, and drummer Lee Kerslake, all of whom had previously played with a group called the Gods (who later became known for having Greg Lake, in his pre-King Crimson days, as a member). For unknown reasons, they christened themselves Toe Fat and managed to get signed to Parlophone and then to Regal Zonophone in England, with their albums appearing in America on the Rare Earth label. Their mix of blues and progressive rock wasn't the most commercial of sounds in any case, and the grotesque cover art on the group's two LPs seemed to repel potential purchasers. By 1970, Hensley had left to hook up with David Byron and Mick Box in what would become Uriah Heep, and Kerslake followed his lead out of Toe Fat. Brian Glascock came in on drums and Alan Kendall joined on guitar for one U.S. tour, but the group finally split up in 1972. Kerslake subsequently re-teamed with Hensley and joined Uriah Heep, while John Glascock later joined Jethro Tull and Alan Kendall joined the Bee Gees, initially as a session guitarist and later as a permanent bandmember, where he remained until the early '80s. Toe Fat's two LPs were reissued on a single CD in the mid-'90s by the Beat Goes On label.
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