Steve Tonträger

After a lengthy professional career as a highly regarded sideman, harmonica icon Steve Baker released his first solo album as singer, songwriter and bandleader in 2018. “Perfect Getaway” (TZ 1473) garnered excellent reviews and showed the 64 year old from a previously unknown side. In the course of the two years since its release, he has played over 50 concerts with his band The LiveWires, developing an instantly recognizable collective sound which regularly wows live audiences.

At the heart of the band lies the interplay between Jan Mohr’s exciting guitar sounds, Jeff Walker’s rock-solid bass and newest (and youngest) member Henri Jerratsch’s elastic drum grooves, underscoring Baker’s punchy vocals and ripping harmonica arrangements. Steve’s daughter Gina adds lovely backing vocals and the tight, sparsely arranged band sound with rich vocal harmonies provides the perfect vehicle for Baker’s deeply personal songs.

In July 2019, Steve took the band into Hamburg’s Chefrock Studios (owned by Peter Keller, producer of German rock megastar Peter Maffay) for a week to record new material with sound engineer Tillmann Ilse at the controls. The resulting album “The Great Divide” (TZ 1884) contains 11 new originals plus a compelling cover of Bob Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire. With this record, the brakes are clearly off and Baker has shifted into a higher gear, providing convincing evidence of just how much he has developed as a singer and songwriter in the past two years. In contrast to its predecessor, The Great Divide is also very much a band album. Though the songs are extremely varied, the sparse arrangements and consistent line-up ensure they share the same character, a band identity and sound which has grown together and is all of a piece. All basic tracks including vocals were recorded live in Chefrock Studios, with additional recording of overdubs and corrections at fmi Studio, Hamburg and Eject Studio in Handeloh. As with Perfect Getaway, Steve mixed the production with Marcus Praed at the Mühle der Freundschaft in Bad Iburg, where it was also mastered.

Overall the songs are heavier than on the first album and cover a wide stylistic spectrum, ranging from rocking British beat to funky New Orleans, from songwriter to subterranean new age blues. Bakers feeling for timeless pop music is readily apparent, as is his fondness for heavy but catchy rock numbers, and his unmistakeable harmonica sound, always in the service of the song, adds the final touch. His songs of life, love and the pursuit of happiness in the age of lies radiate attitude and strike a deeply personal note which echos our troubled times.

1 Don’t Turn Your Back On Love
2 Judgement Day
3 Don’t Worry About The Money
4 Steppin’ High
5 Chains
6 Long Distance Man
7 State Of Grace
8 This Wheel’s On Fire
9 Too Late
10 Fools & Scoundrels
11 One Drop Blues
12 The Great Divide

180g vinyl with colored inlay and download-link with additional songs

After a lengthy professional career as a highly regarded sideman, harmonica icon Steve Baker released his first solo album as singer, songwriter and bandleader in 2018. “Perfect Getaway” (TZ 1473) garnered excellent reviews and showed the 64 year old from a previously unknown side. In the course of the two years since its release, he has played over 50 concerts with his band The LiveWires, developing an instantly recognizable collective sound which regularly wows live audiences.

At the heart of the band lies the interplay between Jan Mohr’s exciting guitar sounds, Jeff Walker’s rock-solid bass and newest (and youngest) member Henri Jerratsch’s elastic drum grooves, underscoring Baker’s punchy vocals and ripping harmonica arrangements. Steve’s daughter Gina adds lovely backing vocals and the tight, sparsely arranged band sound with rich vocal harmonies provides the perfect vehicle for Baker’s deeply personal songs.

In July 2019, Steve took the band into Hamburg’s Chefrock Studios (owned by Peter Keller, producer of German rock megastar Peter Maffay) for a week to record new material with sound engineer Tillmann Ilse at the controls. The resulting album “The Great Divide” (TZ 1884) contains 11 new originals plus a compelling cover of Bob Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire. With this record, the brakes are clearly off and Baker has shifted into a higher gear, providing convincing evidence of just how much he has developed as a singer and songwriter in the past two years. In contrast to its predecessor, The Great Divide is also very much a band album. Though the songs are extremely varied, the sparse arrangements and consistent line-up ensure they share the same character, a band identity and sound which has grown together and is all of a piece. All basic tracks including vocals were recorded live in Chefrock Studios, with additional recording of overdubs and corrections at fmi Studio, Hamburg and Eject Studio in Handeloh. As with Perfect Getaway, Steve mixed the production with Marcus Praed at the Mühle der Freundschaft in Bad Iburg, where it was also mastered.

Overall the songs are heavier than on the first album and cover a wide stylistic spectrum, ranging from rocking British beat to funky New Orleans, from songwriter to subterranean new age blues. Bakers feeling for timeless pop music is readily apparent, as is his fondness for heavy but catchy rock numbers, and his unmistakeable harmonica sound, always in the service of the song, adds the final touch. His songs of life, love and the pursuit of happiness in the age of lies radiate attitude and strike a deeply personal note which echos our troubled times.

A-Side
1. Don’t Turn Your Back On Love
2. Don’t Worry About The Money
3. Steppin’ High
4. Long Distance Man
5. State Of Grace

B-Side
1. Judgement Day
2. This Wheel’s On Fire
3. Too Late
4. Fools & Scoundrels
5. The Great Divide

Steve Baker’s first solo album represents a major departure from his previous releases, where his virtuoso harmonica generally accompanied other singers. On “Perfect Getaway” he successfully reinvents himself as a vocalist and songwriter and delivers a captivating collection of self-penned songs, which also happen to feature some great harmonica. Originally from London, but a long time German resident, Baker is well known for his pioneering work on the European harmonica scene as a musician, author, teacher and consultant to the Hohner company. He enjoys an international reputation as an innovative player and stylistically versatile accompanist, performing with a wide range of artists including Tony Sheridan, Chris Jones or European blues legend Abi Wallenstein, as well as on countless studio sessions. Here he shows himself from a totally different side as singer, bandleader, arranger and producer.

Not surprisingly, considering his eclectic musical background, this is by no means a pure blues record and reflects the broad range of influences which he has absorbed over the years.

Of the 14 compositions on “Perfect Getaway”, a couple have previously been released in other line-ups, but this is the first time Steve has recorded his own versions with a full band. Many of the songs are recent and several were written specifically for this CD. Following intensive pre-production with bassist Gaz, the album was recorded in only 6 days by Marcus Praed at the Mühle der Freundschaft (Mill of Friendship) studio in Bad Iburg, where Baker enlisted the assistance of several top players from the Osnabrück music scene. With Kai Strauss (guitar), Alex Lex (drums), Gaz (bass) and Chris Rannenberg (piano), all songs (including most of Steve’s lead vocals and harp) were recorded live in the beautiful ambience of the 300 year old mill. Mo Fuhrhop plays sparse Hammond organ on three titles and the album also features Steve’s daughter Gina (her recording debut) and Gaz’ group Opportunity on backing vocals.

The tunes are extremely varied and draw on a wide range of styles, from singer/songwriter, country, gospel, blues and rock&roll to crunching rock. What they all have in common is Baker’s old school pop sensibility, which gives his compositions high recognition value and makes them eminently suitable for airplay. With catchy refrains and memorable hooks, they’re as melodic as his harp playing while also somehow sounding unmistakably English.

The opener “Anyway You Do” is a case in point, beginning with melancholy acoustic country sounds before going through some unexpected changes to end as uptempo Afrobeat. “Blind Man Blues” is reminiscent of Dr John or Little Feat and is followed by the acoustic funk of “Brand New Day”, with soulful backing vocals and a classic Baker harp solo at the end. “Notional Security Blues” takes a tongue in cheek look at of online snooping, while the autobiographical “Born In London” sounds like vintage Chuck Berry. This is followed by the ripping punk-pop of “(Don’t Wanna Be An) Apeman”, with guitar riffs which are evocative of both the Kinks and the Searchers. The tension-filled “Doublecrossed & Blue”, one of Steve’s most popular instrumental numbers, is followed by a relaxed rocking remake of the old Have Mercy song “Hustle On Down” in the style of Elvis Presley’s Memphis album or J.J.Cale. “Glad I Got You” comes across like like a mix of Motown, Stones and British pub-rock, with backing vocals from Gaz and Gina. “Nobody’s Fool” mixes country with New Orleans piano, while “Soul Train” is uptempo rockabilly with 3 part backing vocals, virtuoso guitar licks and a great sax-influenced harp solo. “Do Me” is a psychodrama with heavy guitar riffs and dark vocals, which lead into classic Britrock refrains before seguing into the anthemic title track “Perfect Getaway”. The closing number, the poignant country gospel “One Word”, brings all of the elements back together again with Steve’s trademark lyrical harp playing, a beautiful vocal arrangement and a final inspired guitar solo from Kai.

After a lengthy career as a highly regarded instrumentalist and sideman, “Perfect Getaway” is convincing proof that Steve Baker has plenty more to offer as a rocking singer and songwriter.

01 Anyway You Do
02 Blind Man Blues
03 Brand New Day
04 Notional Security Blues
05 Born In London
06 (Don’t Wanna Be An) Apeman
07 Doublecrossed & Blue
08 Hustle On Down
09 Glad I Got You
10 Nobody’s Fool
11 Soul Train
12 Do Me
13 Perfect Getaway
14 One Word

The songs can be downloaded at the end of the order.

Sounds of the 80s | Harmonica Pop Instrumentals

The 1980s marked the start of the digital era and most commercial music productions from that period reflected the latest technical innovations. Polyphonic synthesizers, sequencers, drum computers and sample sounds were all recent developments back then, and they totally changed the way that much recorded music was created. In those days, Hamburg was a major hub for the German music industry and Steve Baker played on countless studio recordings throughout the 1980s and 90s, experiencing the digital revolution in music production at first hand.

In summer 1986 he joined forces with a group of Hamburg session musicians including legendary drummer Peter Franken and producer and guitarist Dieter Faber, to write a collection of modern pop harmonica instrumentals, reflecting the technology and sounds of the day. The results were recorded in Adrian Askew’s Simple Sound studio.

The combination of 1980s production techniques and slick studio musicianship puts Baker’s soulful harmonica playing into a context which may surprise listeners more familiar with his work in blues, rock and folk, but the combination is both unusual and effective. As well as his exemplary diatonic harp playing, The Free Fall Sessions also feature rare recordings of Steve on chromatic harmonica.

Three of the tracks were released as a 12“ maxi-single in 1987, long since deleted, but the remainder never saw the light of day. The entire production is now available for the first time from Timezone Records as a download.This vintage release highlights another side of Steve Baker’s wide ranging musicality and underlines his status as one of today’s most influential harmonica players.

Adrian Askew - recording, keyboards
Steve Baker - harmonica
Dieter Faber - guitars, bass, keyboards
Peter Franken - drums & percussion
Michael Pohnke - keyboards

1. Free Fall - soft mix (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
2. Reaching Out (Michael Pohnke)
3. Meet The Beat (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
4. Winter Sun (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
5. Iona (Steve Baker)
6. Grenadina (Dieter Faber)
7. Whistling In The Dark ((Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
8. Chasing Rainbows (Steve Baker)
9. Free Fall - maxi mix (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)

The songs can be downloaded at the end of the order.

Groundbreaking first album from the true inventors of Folk-Punk

Steve Baker came to Germany in 1976 with Have Mercy, a crazed Anglo-American acoustic blues and jugband whose members also included Henry Heggen and Rory McLeod. German blues expert Werner Weber, who saw the band performing in London and spontaneously invited them to play in his hometown of Aachen, described their music as “Rocking Harmonica Blues”, but in spirit it was in many ways closer to the energy of the punk rock scene then emerging in Britain. Have Mercy ended up in Hamburg, the northern port city which played such a vital role in the development of British beat music, where their riotous performances swiftly earned them the reputation as one of the hottest acts on the thriving “Hamburg Scene”.

Thanks to their highly individual but undeniably authentic style of rocking roots music and their inspired live shows, Have Mercy gained a considerable degree of notoriety in their adopted hometown. They were soon offered a deal with Antagon Records, a Hamburg label which had recently released LPs by Scottish folk icon Alex Campbell and jazz singer Bill Ramsey. By coincidence, Boodlam was recorded in Hamburg during the same two week period in February 1977 when The Clash were recording their eponymous debut LP in London.

As well as the title song, the album includes ripping versions of J.B. Lenoir’s “Mojo Boogie”, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee’s “Poor Man But A Good Man” and Leadbelly’s “Midnight Special”, plus several originals, among them Steve Baker’s “Hustle On Down” and two early songs from Rory McLeod, “Collector Man” and the whimsical “Somebody Else Will”. Powered by massed harmonicas, with Heggen and McLeod’s formidable lead vocals, plus backing vocals from everybody else, and driven by the double Dobros of Brian Barnett and Dick Bird, the album oozes manic youthful energy. It also gives Have Mercy a serious claim as inventors of what later came to be known as Folk Punk. For the first time since the band parted company in the late 1970s, their seminal debut album is now available again, as a download from Timezone Records including original artwork.

Steve Baker: harmonica, vocals, kazoo, guitar
Brian Barnett: guitars, vocals, kazoo
Dick Bird: guitar, vocals, mandolin, washboard
Jon Echols: harmonica, vocals, percussion
Henry Heggen: lead vocals, harmonica, jug, washboard, kazoo
Rory McLeod: Lead vocals, harmonica, jug, washboard, spoons
Werner Weber: rhythm guitar (Dallas Rag)

1. Mojo Boogie (J.B. Lenoir)
2. Hustle On Down (Steve Baker)
3. Somebody Else Will (Rory McLeod)
4. Poor Man But A Good Man (Terry / McGhee)
5. Stealin '(Gus Cannon)
6. Biggest Kick (Henry Heggen)
7. Dive Bomber (Have Mercy)
8. Viola Lee (Noah Lewis, Gus Cannon)
9. Dallas Rag (Trad. Arr. Dick Bird / Werner Weber)
10. Blind Man (Lafayette Leake)
11. Collector Man (Rory McLeod)
12. Wine (Sticks McGhee)
13. Midnight Special (Leadbelly)
14. Boodlam Shake (Trad.Arr. Have Mercy)