As far as supergroups go, NATURAL GAS had more than enough talent to go far – only they didn’t. With bassist Mark Clarke fresh off TEMPEST and ex-BADFINGER guitarist Joey Molland sharing vocal duties, former HUMBLE PIE drummer Jerry Shirley laying down the groove, and experienced session keyboard player Peter Wood enriching textures, plus Felix Pappalardi manning the board, it’s still surprising there wasn’t more than a single album, their 1976 self-titled platter, from the quartet, yet, as their inner dynamic went awry rather soon. “This could have been a really good band, and we had a lot of people behind us,” Mark once explained to this scribe. “But Joey and I were going in different directions.” Still, that sole longplay remains a solid classic, and to see “Natural Gas” released afresh in expanded form will be quite wonderful.
Out on June 6th, it’s going to be this album’s first-ever CD reissue sourced from original master tapes and it’s going to be augmented with ten bonus tracks that include demos and a live set – recorded in Grand Rapids on August 14th, 1976 and thus, differing from the ensemble’s previously released Michigan concert, which was preserved for posterity three days later in Detroit. While getting one of the first hundred units in a foil-stamped slipcase is optional, hearing the album with a proper remastering, and concert – where a cover of the Fabs’ classic appears in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial jubilee – should feel like a treat.
Natural Gas
1. Little Darlin’
2. Once Again, A Love Song
3. You Can Do It
4. I’ve Been Waitin’
5. I Believe It’s Love
6. The Right Time
7. Christmas Song
8. Miracle Mile
9. Dark Cloud
10. St. Louis Blues
bonus tracks:
11. Little Darlin’ (demo)
12. Christmas Song (demo)
Live At The Dome, Grand Rapids, MI, August 14th, 1976:
13. Little Darlin’
14. Dark Cloud
15. You Can Do It
16. Christmas Song
17. Miracle Mile
18. St. Louis Blues
19. The Right Time
20. Birthday
