Listen: Jacob’s Ladder / Doris Troy
DorisTroyJacob'sLadder.mp3

Although having recorded with The Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Dusty Springfield, Nick Drake, Junior Campbell and Pink Floyd, it was The Beatles, and especially George Harrision, who seemingly had the real jones for Doris Troy. Signing to their Apple label, she was afforded a self produced long player, DORIS TROY. Apple issued two singles from it, the second being a remake of the biblical folk/gospel standard, ‘Jacob’s Ladder’.

Listen: Get Back / Doris Troy
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Both Apple 7′s luckily had non-LP B sides from the album sessions. For the flip of ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, her version of the then-still-current ‘Get Back’ was used. In general, the overall recording approach for the project was very 1970, it’s a total Mad Dogs & Englishmen shamble/jam, with that ‘let’s try to sound like Delaney & Bonnie’ intent. Depending on my mood, I either appreciate it or just feel it sounds like a bad bar band from upstate New York.

No musician credits are listed on the album sleeve although it’s widely accounted that Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, Bill Wyman and Peter Frampton all joined George Harrison in it’s recording.

Listen: Isn’t It About Time / Stephen Stills – Manassas StillsAboutTime.mp3

I play this often, all the more shocking because it’s true. And unlikely. Never a fan of The Buffalo Springfield nor Crosby, Stills & Nash, never followed the family trees of all those Southern California bands – my friends simply do not believe me when I tell them, I love this track.

Pretty sure this was from the very final days of Manassas, having overloaded even the most loyal followers with their debut double album. ‘Isn’t It About Time’, from the follow up, DOWN THE ROAD, is all full of slide guitars, shakers and drums playing bongo patterns. You could safely tag their sound as tasty.

I wrongly assumed this was a Tom Dowd / Criteria Studios creation, as it sits nicely next to the feel of those Derek & The Dominoes records. But lo and behold, it is not.

Seems Chris Hillman was a big contributor to both the production and the band. He’s a bit of an under-sung talent – and always had a good haircut too.