''Cold Blue Excursion'' was a solo album recorded by

Ray Dorset Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...

, leader of

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry are a British rock band, formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing lineup always fronted by Ray Dorset, the group's biggest hit was "In the Summertime ...

. The majority of the group's songs at the time were good-time blues, skiffle and rock’n’roll, and these songs on the solo album, written by him during the previous seven years, were designed to show his versatility as a songwriter away from the confines of the basic Mungo sound. The two photos of Dorset inside the gatefold sleeve — one of him sitting in a woodland clearing playing an acoustic guitar, the other of him onstage delivering an impassioned vocal performance with an electric guitar around his neck — summed the album up as well as the quotes from

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

printed inside along the track list —''"A song was just a song to me...In my own mind, a song is just a song..."'' All the songs were far removed from the group's style. Three other fellow members (John Godfrey, Colin Earl, Joe Rush) only appeared on one track, and the songs varied from gospel and soul to introspective ballads, mostly with full strings and brass accompaniments, and in one case a trad jazz band. Harmonica and kazoo, which Dorset used on most Mungo tracks, were noticeably absent. The title track, backed with ''I Need It'', was issued as a single, and ''Time Is Now'' had been covered as a single by contemporary group

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on the A&M label the previous year. Although neither of these singles or the album ever made the UK charts, the latter received positive reviews from several music journalists who had never found Mungo Jerry to their personal taste. It was reissued by Beat Goes On in 1994.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ray Dorset # "Got To Be Free" – 2:50 # "Cold Blue Excursion" – 4:09 # "With Me" – 3:15 # "Have Pity On Me" – 2:57 # "Time Is Now" – 3:30 # "Livin’ Ain’t Easy " – 3:30 # "Help Your Friends" – 4:11 # "I Need It" – 3:23 # "Because I Want You" – 4:17 # "Night Time" – 3:30 # "Maybe That’s The Way" – 3:04 # "Always On My Mind' – 2:53

Personnel

- vocals, 6-string acoustic, 12-string acoustic and electric guitars, arrangements *Mike McNaught - piano, arrangements * Dave Markee - bass *

Sue and Sunny Sue and Sunny were a British vocal duo and session singers operating in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although sisters, their stage names were Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie. For three years (1969-1972) they were members of British pop group The Bro ...

- backing vocals * Mike Travis - drums * Joe Rush - washboard on "Have Pity On Me" * John Godfrey - bass on "Have Pity On Me" * Colin Earl - backing vocals on "Have Pity On Me" * Various uncredited musicians - brass, strings, flutes * Terry Evennett - engineer

References

1972 debut albums Dawn Records albums {{1970s-rock-album-stub