Jump to content

Anyone else into Automatic Man???


leftyaxeman

Recommended Posts

  • Members

This album is from 1976 with Pat Thrall of the Pat Travers band on guitar, Michael Shrieve on drums formerly of Santana, Bayete aka Todd Cochran on keys who was in Carl Palmers band 1pm, and Doni Harvey on bass. Critics thought they were a bit out there, some thought ahead of their time. Seems the internet is getting them a bit more attention and I was just wondering if any else dug them.

 

[video=youtube;GHnCx2JPoUg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHnCx2JPoUg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've got that album and I met all those guys back when I was in high school. Actually, they came to see a set some friends and I played.

 

Eric McCann (MONSTER bass player) replaced the original bass player and was rehearsing with them but I don't think they ever did many gigs or tours, if at all. Eric was playing the set with us so they really came to see him play. I was seventeen and my chops are not much better now than they were then so I was basically ripping. Eric pulled me aside later and told me that those guys were pretty impressed with my playing and it was then that I decided I wanted to try to be a full time pro musician. And of course, we all know how that turned out. :(

 

Those guys being from the Bay Area had some pretty stiff competition at that time. Journey's first album came out around that time. Graham Central Station was starting to take off. Eddie Money was going up the charts and of course T of P was at their peak. So that album got very little attention and really faded quickly. I'm pretty sure though I've still got a vinyl 12" in the basement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Very interesting band. I had read an article about Pat Thrall in Guitar World back in the late 80's where the band was briefly mentioned. Didn't didn't give them much thought until years later when a friend of Gordon Gaines I'd become acquainted with mentioned that Gordon use to cover the title track live at some early gigs. I'd hadn't heard the band at that point so the same friend was kind enough to send me a cassette of the album. Cool stuff. I later was able to get my hands on the vinyl. I've only heard a couple of tracks from their follow up LP "Visitors". If I'm not mistaken Doni Harvey the original Bassist passed away last year. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've got that album and I met all those guys back when I was in high school. Actually, they came to see a set some friends and I played.


Eric McCann (MONSTER bass player) replaced the original bass player and was rehearsing with them but I don't think they ever did many gigs or tours, if at all. Eric was playing the set with us so they really came to see him play. I was seventeen and my chops are not much better now than they were then so I was basically ripping. Eric pulled me aside later and told me that those guys were pretty impressed with my playing and it was then that I decided I wanted to try to be a full time pro musician. And of course, we all know how that turned out.
:(

Those guys being from the Bay Area had some pretty stiff competition at that time. Journey's first album came out around that time. Graham Central Station was starting to take off. Eddie Money was going up the charts and of course T of P was at their peak. So that album got very little attention and really faded quickly. I'm pretty sure though I've still got a vinyl 12" in the basement.

 

That's cool that you got to meet them, I'm a huge fan of Pat Thrall, think he's a criminally underated guitarist, he's known for his work with Pat Travers, but his work with bassist Alphonso Johnson & Stomu Yamash'ta's Go project(included Steve Winwood also) is killer. He's also played with Asia and Meatloaf.

 

Eric McCann you say replaced Doni Harvey(RIP), he must have left before the Visitors album because I think Jerome Rimson is the bassist on that. Them being impressed with your playing says alot, they were all monster players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

That's cool that you got to meet them, I'm a huge fan of Pat Thrall, think he's a criminally underated guitarist, he's known for his work with Pat Travers, but his work with bassist Alphonso Johnson & Stomu Yamash'ta's Go project(included Steve Winwood also) is killer. He's also played with Asia and Meatloaf.


Eric McCann you say replaced Doni Harvey(RIP), he must have left before the Visitors album because I think Jerome Rimson is the bassist on that. Them being impressed with your playing says alot, they were all monster players.

 

OK, this is going way back but if memory serves...

 

I believe the original bass player only cut that first album with them but apparently that was about the extent of his tenure. Eric never cut any tracks with them to the best of my knowledge. He was a great player but being fresh out of HS he probably didn't have the track record those guys wanted to put on the back of an album cover.

 

As a side note, Eric was the bass player on Al Dimeola's first two solo tours. Anthony Jackson cut the tracks in the studio but wasn't going to tour. Al was looking for a bass player with those kind of chops (remember this was the 70's) and I think it was Bayete that turned him on to Eric.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...