We received this great cd at he end of Oct. of '05..........this band were an experimental pre-glam band from n.y. city who actually were from L.a, first they played there from '68 - '71 as MESSIAH, then they moved to N.Y.C. around '71, they were led by ERIC EMERSON ( close friend of JIM MORRISON ) who nowadays is considered to have influenced the whole glam scene surrounding the DOLLS,

.....the first 5 tracks recorded in ' 70 are very different from what surfaced in the glam era ' 73 - ' 75, they are quiet, mellow, and reflect native american indian music and the DOORS too, which sounds right because viocalist ERIC EMERSON was a good friend of JIM MORRISON's..........# ' s 6 - 8 were recorded in ' 73 and show the transition to glam while still holding on to an experimental sound with that violin standing out as it does throughout the cd, the last 4 songs # 's 9 - 12 are the heavy glam numbers and our favorites from the cd and were recorded ' 74 - ' 75.........

1 'ODE TO JIMMY DEAN'

The opener is a very quiet and subdued number, an experimental instrumental song similiar to the DOORS approaching a native american indian sound,......... drug induced ( peyote ? ) and very mellow.......

2 'HEY PEOPLE'

slow rock with electronic violin.........'HI HELLO AND HOW DO U DO WERE HERE JUST TO GIVE TO U, WERE GOING TO LAUGH AND HAVE A GOOD TIME......'

3 ' WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW '

a chant reflecting native american indian sounds, drum and rhythm section build hypnotic pattern.......

4 'MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT '

DOORS influence again , a very slow number, ok and not as good as any of the other tracks on the cd.......'......'LISTEN TO THE NIGHT, MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT, SEEMS TO HYPNOTIZE, HEAVEN's ALL AROUND ME'......

5 'SMOKE AND MIRRORS'

another instrumental track offered, elec. violin is prominent as in the opening song.....the tramps were dedicated to making soothing and quiet music in this era.......

( next 3 songs recorded in ' 73 )

6 ' TRIPPIN'

(...' i would like to take u on a trip with me and my hot little band....' )...' TRIPPIN'---SKIPPIN' AROUND, HITTIN' THE BARS ALL NIGHT LONG, AND A BYE BYE CHARLIE GETTIN' ME HIGH.......'............GOOD number coulda been a single, loud snap-pop drums, band finds a good groove and they all sing-a-long, listen closely to the vocal enthusiasm and you can detect a sound that influenced the DOLLS good-time sound.......

7 ' MY REFLECTION '

choppy guitar notes sound like an elec. piano, and here the band continues their experimental sound sounding unlike anyone else, on repeated listens one can discern a sound reflecting sophisticated english pop, with the violin playing eerily in the background.......( ' it's written by him, someone else sings it, i sing it......' ).........' WHEN I WATCH MY REFLECTION TOGETHER WE STAND ALONE, WHEN I HAVE MY SELECTION I'D RATHER BE ON MY OWN '

8 ' S.M. LEATHER QUEEN '

the band camps up the banter in the beginning of the song for a violent effect, they find a good groove and reveal early rock roots.......' YEA.......I GIVE YOU LOVIN' U CAN' T REFUSE, LATE FOR DINNER WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHIPS AND CHAINS U CAN' T GO BACK, YOU COME A KNOCKIN' ON MY LOFT '.....

the next 4 songs were recorded from ' 74 - ' 75 and we find only drummer SESU COLEMAN and violinist LARRY CHAPLAN remaining, since EMERSON died in '75 he was replaced as was the guitarist and bassist.........songs 11 and 12 were featured a different bass player....

9 ' LONG, LONG TIME '

HEAVY GLAM ROCK, the vocals sound like KISS ( hey this was N.y. ), and the band rcks out like the ALICE COOPER band, steady drums, guitarist wails, sound of ' 74 here :) with some cooool lyrics.......' I WAS LOOKING OUT MY WINDOW DOWNTOWN L.a., LOOKING AT SOME LADIES MAKING SUNSHINE IN THE SHADE, LOOKING LIKE SOME VAMPIRES THAT I SAW ON M - TV, TELLING ME THAT THEY WANT MY LOVE, TO MAKE THEM FEEL SO FREE.......'

10 ' LOOSE CHANGE '

more hard rock than say glam with the band playing tight, later a long guitar solo with some EXCELLENT playing, this one would be the longest song offered clocking in at 5:25.....' MY MY YOU CAN' T TAKE IT LIGHTLY WHEN THE DAYS GO BY AND LEAVE YOU UNLOVED , YOU KNOW YOU TRY TRY TO GET IT TOGETHER '........

11 ' FIGHT '

defiant street-rock, N.y. hard glam with rough guitars, chorus sung by whole band, and as they say in the beginning (.............' here is a little thing uh, this is a song written by drummer man called FIGHT........' )..........' WHEN YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING, HOLD YOUR HEAD AND PRAY FOR RAIN, AND YOU SEE THE WORLD AROUIND YOU, THEN YOU FEEL THAT THERE's NO PAIN, YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU WANT, YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU ARE, YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU FEEL, YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT - CALLED PEACE OF MIND' !

12 'MAX's'

WOW ! ........the best track on the cd and should have been a single, definitive glam rock / pre-punk guitars slam away, the band finds their niche and plays solid while the singer takes a tale, this is one cool song, ' SITTING DOWN IN A CLUB IN N.y. AND I WAS WAITING FOR MY CUE, WHEN SOME WASTED HIP CHICK, WITH HER HAIR WET AND SLICK TRIED TO JAB ME WITH HER COMB, I SAID GET OUTTA HERE CAUSE I'M WASTED' !

( as these songs were recorded live, we've been told there are more songs from these sessions, stay tuned for more and see our gateway 4 soon for a gallery )

MAGIC TRAMPS member SESU COLEMAN has created a GREAT site about the band, see the following link for more info -

http://www.magictramps.com/

SESU sent in a couple of historical facts;

Ruby always opened for the Dolls-never headlined We asked the Dolls to open for us at the "Mercer Arts Center" in NYC That's when they got their record deal.............the "Dolls" opened for the "Magic Tramps" many times.......We only opened for the "Dolls" once at a New Years Eve gig in NYC in 1973 After they got their record deal....{Ruby was on the bill also}

....... we will be reviewing this cd in the near future so stay tuned for an in-depth review and perhaps we'll have a review here and another maybe in our gateway 4.......