Another forgotten album it seems from the band Shoot, yet ‘On The Frontier’ is one of the better ‘one-offs’ related to Renaissance that you’ve never heard.
Written by: Eric
ARTIST: Shoot
ALBUM: On The Frontier
LABEL: EMI
SERIAL: EMA 753
YEAR: 1973
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Jim McCarty – lead vocals, keyboards, percussion * Dave Greene – guitars, banjo, vocals * Bill Russell – bass * Craig Collinge – drums, percussion * Lyn Dobson, Bob Birtles – horns * B.J. Cole – pedal steel, dobro * Graham Preskitt – violin * Jon Tout – piano
TRACK LISTING: 01 The Neon Life * 02 Ships And Sails * 03 Living Blind * 04 On The Frontier * 05 The Boogie * 06 Midnight Train * 07 Head Under Water * 08 Sepia Sister * 09 Old Time Religion * 10 Mean Customer
Background
Quite an interesting cover on this one, spotted in several album art coffee table books as well as the cut-out bins. The record industry can be a cruel beast indeed and not a whole lot of background information out there in the internet jungle on Shoot.
This is somewhat surprising considering the pedigree of those involved including former Yardbirds/Renaissance member Jim McCarty, Raw Material guitarist Dave Greene and Australian drummer Craig Collinge.
There are also guest appearances from Renaissance‘s Jon Tout and Soft Machine‘s Lyn Dobson. Another forgotten album it seems, yet ‘On The Frontier’ is one of the better ‘one-offs’ related to Renaissance that I’ve come across. In fact I’ll go so far as to say it’s one of the better albums of 1973 that you never heard.
The Songs
Chock full of good songs, ‘On the Frontier’ is nothing like McCarty’s Renaissance, although the title track appeared on the excellent ‘Ashes Are Burning’ album released the same year. Shoot’s version is a bit rough, lacking much of the polish and drama found on the Renaissance version which is to be expected without the lovely Annie Haslam’s involvement.
There is a welcome variety on this record, with wonderful harmonies, ethic vibes thanks to the extensive use of dobro and jangle guitar found on several tracks bringing to mind The Byrds and other late 60’s U.S bands of the same ilk.
A fine album all the way through although side two is the clear winner especially the haunting instrumental ‘Head Under Water’ and the wondrous ‘Sepia Sister’ which finds Shoot at the top of their game. But it’s ‘Mean Customer’ that stands out and is the most progressive track here with excellent percussion work from Craig Collinge against a dobro backdrop that just seems to drift away into the aether, carrying the listener to another world.
In Summary
Again, it’s surprising this album has received so little attention outside the pop art world. It’s certainly worthy of reissue on CD and its incredible no one has put it out yet as it would certainly be sought after by Yardbirds and Renaissance fans alike. Highly recommended.
