Lie Back and Enjoy It [Import]

Juicy Lucy, Wizzard, Juicy Lucy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B00000719V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,393 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Thinking of My Life

2. Built for Comfort

3. Pretty Woman

4. Whisky in My Jar

5. Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham

6. Changed My Mind

7. That Woman's Got Something

8. Willie the Pimp

9. Lie Back and Enjoy It

10. Walking Down the Highway [*]

11. I'm a Thief [*]

Editorial Reviews

24bit digitally remastered Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic British blues-rock with a steel twist, June 22, 2009

By 

Colin Spence (Formby, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lie Back and Enjoy It (Audio CD)

Juicy Lucy were a British blues-rock outfit who only lasted about 3 years between 1969 and 1972. During this time they released 4 albums, the first 2 of which gained modest chart success in the UK - one of these albums (their 2nd release) was 'Lie Back And Enjoy It'. The album is a raunchy mixture of blues, blues-rock and a bit of country-blues, with many songs having a noticeable 'southern-fried' funky edge (there are some similarities with the early music of Little Feat).

The line-up on this album (excluding bonus tracks) is : Paul Williams (ex. Zoot Money) - lead vocals, congas and piano; American steel guitar virtuoso - Glenn Ross Campbell (definitely NOT to be confused with the country singer); Chris Mercer - saxophones and keyboards; Keith Ellis (ex. Van der Graaf Generator) - electric bass; Mick Moody (later to gain fame and fortune with Whitesnake) - electric guitar; and Rod Coombes (ex. Jeff Beck Group) - drums and percussion. Paul Williams had one of the finest blues-rock voices around at the time - far better than that of his predecessor (Ray Owen) who sang on the band's first album. What separates Juicy Lucy from their contemporaries, is the prominent steel guitar playing of Glenn Ross Campbell (that's him on the album cover). My version of the album is not re-mastered (also excludes the two bonus tracks) but the sound quality is OK - much of what you would expect from the audio technology of the day; I assume the re-mastered version advertised here will have improved sound quality.

Some comments about my favourite tunes :

PRETTY WOMAN - Mid-paced sensuous rocker - a minor hit single in the UK; mellow vocals and funky bass. BUILT FOR COMFORT - Slightly slower than the original by Willie Dixon; jazz sax solo and tasty steel guitar solo; also features organ. THINKING OF MY LIFE - More up-tempo than most of the other songs; gritty vocals, sax and electric guitar solos. WILLIE THE PIMP - A fine take on this song; Paul Williams does his best Beefheart impression, and Glen Ross Campbell and Mick Moody trip out with 2 minutes of scorching acid-boogie on steel and electric slide.

The remaining songs are pretty good too - all worth listening to; only the final track 'Lie Back and Enjoy It' (a mediocre piano solo segued with 'Willie The Pimp') is a waste of space.

If you're a fan of British blues-rock, I'd recommend that you at least check out 'Lie Back And Enjoy It'. Also, you might want to investigate Who Do You Love: The Anthology because, with the exception of 'Hello LA, Bye Bye Birmingham', this 19 track album contains all of the tracks on 'Lie Back And Enjoy It' - the remaining tracks are taken from the band's first album ('Juicy Lucy') and third album ('Get A Whiff a This').

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pro blues stylings, February 21, 2002

By 

H. Little "jazzbeaux" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lie Back and Enjoy It (Audio CD)

This is a more traditional blues sound from the band that made my favorite album of all time. (Get A Whiff a' This.)The vocals are about as good as you can allow for white boys on a blues jag. There are some truly stellar moments , and maybe even some new ground plowed here. If you enjoyed Zappa's version of "Willie The Pimp", you'll like this one even more.

4.0 out of 5 stars "...Ain't Going Down That Lonesome Road...All By Myself...", December 24, 2010

By 

Mark Barry, Reckless Records, London (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lie Back & Enjoy It (Audio CD)

This mid-priced August 2010 UK CD from Esoteric Recordings (a Cherry Red label) reissues Juicy Lucy's 2nd album from late 1970 - "Lie Back And Enjoy It".

History - released in September 1969, their self-titled debut was only the second album on the then new progressive rock label 'Vertigo'. And on the back of their blistering 7" single "Who Do You Love" which was lifted off the record and released in February 1970, the "Juicy Lucy" album finally charted in the UK in April 1970. "Lie Back And Enjoy It" was their hurriedly recorded follow-up to that well received debut - and also featured a radically altered line-up.

This issue is a new 24-bit remaster by BEN WISEMAN at Audio Archiving in London (it was first put out by Repertoire in 1994) and features a relevant bonus track. It's also available digitally at losttunes.

Esoteric Recordings ECLEC2216 breaks down as follows (39:08 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Lie Back And Enjoy It" released October 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 014. The album charted at number 53 on the UK LP charts for one week in November 1970. Their next two albums were on the 'Bronze' and 'Polydor' labels ("Get A Whiff A This" from 1971 and "Pieces" from 1972).

Track 9 is the non-album B-side to their second 7" single - "Pretty Woman" (Track 3 on Side 1). It was released September 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6059 015 (also on the Spiral label) but failed to chart.

The 5-piece for this LP featured PAUL WILLIAMS on Lead Vocals, Congas & Piano [ex Zoot Money's Big Band] with GLENN ROSS CAMPBELL on Lead Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals [ex The Misunderstood], MICKY MOODY on Guitars [ex Tramline, Mike Cotton Sound - later with Snafu, Whitesnake & duet work with Paul Williams], CHRIS MERCER on Saxophones & Keyboards [ex John Mayall's Bluesbreakers], KEITH ELLIS on Bass & Vocals [ex Koobas and Van Der Graaf Generator] and ROD COOMBES on Drums and Percussion.

Building on the greasy slide-guitar boogie-band feel of their self-titled debut, "Lie Back And Enjoy It" went down the same road - only this time they'd replaced Ray Owen as Lead Vocalist with Paul Williams and Neill Hubbard's guitar work with that of Micky Moody. Like the first album it's a mixed batch of the great and the ordinary. The Paul Williams penned "Pretty Woman" was released as the album's only single and you can instantly hear why - catchy as a cold in Margate. The cover of the Willie Dixon song he gave to Howlin' Wolf "Built For Comfort" is less successful as is the awful version of Zappa's "Willy The Pimp" (although it redeems itself at about 5 minutes 34 seconds in as it fades out and suddenly turns into a lovely 2-minute long piano instrumental - not surprisingly called "Lie Back And Enjoy It"). But the track I dig the most is "This Woman's Got Something" which was co-written by Moody, Campbell and William (lyrics above) - it's a bluesy builder with great guitar work and has graced more than a few 70's FEST CDs I've made up for shop play.

Sound - like Esoteric's 2010 reissue of "Juicy Lucy" the audio quality is incredibly clean and crisp, full of power and a massive improvement over what I had before - a really great job done. The 16-page booklet features a really detailed account by MARK POWELL of their transition from The Misunderstood of 1966 to Juicy Lucy of 1969 and onwards into 1970 and their many line-up changes. The original album artwork was an elaborate 4-way foldout poster affair that is reproduced in parts here. There's also full-page colour-plates for each member of the band, Vertigo adverts for the group and a foreign picture sleeve of the "Pretty Woman" single. Like its predecessor, it's all very nicely done.

There are some Seventies bands I go dolally over - and JUICY LUCY is one of them. And although some of the tracks on here don't quite live up to the image and promise of the elaborate sleeve - there's tunes on here that do. I've loved re-hearing this long-forgotten album.

A wicked little reissue really...

PS: Their 1st Vertigo album from September 1969 "Juicy Lucy" has also been remastered and reissued by Esoteric in 2010 with a bonus track (see separate review).