A collection of reviews, clippings, photos and videos.
The interview starts about 7 minutes in and takes up pretty much the whole of the rest of the hour. Tony is interviewed by Jim Baker, and gets to choose three favourite tracks. Jim also plays some Kokomo tracks (including one from the Half Moon) and some from Tony’s band, including one hot off the presses from the previous week’s show in Swansea.
Rather incongruously, there’s a review by Malcolm Dome of the Ronnie Scott’s gig in the October 2016 edition of ‘Prog’ magazine.
The full online version is ‘subscription only’, but the intro is free. They liked it the show.
There’s a joyous whiff of balance in the band’s performance here. The members obviously take what they do very seriously, but they have a self‑deprecating humour too. When the three vocalists – yes, three – stride onstage during Third Time Around, they all have on pink feather boas. It’s a hilariously simple prop that’s augmented by some wonderfully incongruous choreography. But this is never allowed to upstage the fact that the trio – as well as keyboard player Tony O’Malley – have spectacular voices.
Robert Elms has been a great supporter of the band over the years, and featured Angel in his ‘Cover2Cover’ feature. Listeners vote for the original or the cover.
Aretha might be the best singer in the world ever. But Paddie takes this one.
KOKOMO: “To Be Cool” (Hux import)
Standing in front of this ’70s Brit-soul revue at North London clubs like the Hope & Anchor and Dingwalls was the most exquisite place on earth. Consisting of the U.K.’s top rock and r&b studio players (bassist Alan Spenner and guitarist Neil Hubbard had played Woodstock with Joe Cocker; saxophonist Mel Collins was out of King Crimson; percussionist Jody Linscott would tour with the Who and Dido; Jim Mullen today is Britain’s top jazz guitarist), the 10-piece ensemble knocked out American soul music thoroughly marinated in draught Guinness, patchouli oil and five varieties of hashish.
Despite three fine albums for Columbia, the 10-track “To Be Cool,” taped at the band’s rehearsal room in ’74 and miraculously just discovered and released, truly captures the band’s feel, wit and casual brilliance. Plucking obscure gems from albums by Joe Tex, Allen Toussaint and Funk Inc., Kokomo opened gigs with a jaw-dropping 10-minute reading of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon,” before the group’s three singers arrived on stage. That instrumental, in which Mullen illustrates the proper use of a Fender Telecaster, is a standout here, along with the late Spenner’s tour de force reading of Bob Dylan’s “New Morning” and Tex’s “Mother’s Prayer.” Sweet, sweet sounds.
Fred Shuster – Los Angeles Daily News