Upon what criticism do you base a judgement of the progress of MUNGO JERRY from 1970 to the present day? Do you rate the group's chart successes as the all-important yardstick against which to measure the opening album of each decade - 'MUNGO JERRY' (1970), 'TOGETHER AGAIN' (1980), and 'SNAKEBITE' (1990) - or does one remain deaf to the march of progress and fashion, blinded by our own nostalgia?

Do we listen to every release since, 'BOOT POWER' with the sense of "what if" - what if the 'original group' hadn't split? What if PAUL KING had exercised a bigger say in the group's direction? What if the group had been managed and marketed honestly and so on?

The bare facts speak for themselves and no-one can change history. What's done is done. It is now twenty years since the split and RAY DORSET - on his todd - has kept MJ afloat in one form or another since 1972. During this period, MUNGO JERRY have had dozens of new releases and hundreds of new songs. The band has also circumnavigated the globe at least a couple of times, trading as much on the strength of their live act as on past reputation.

Let's look then at the albums which signalled the start of these decades - the 70's, 80's and 90's.

Surprisingly, the album which was rush-released hot on the heels of, 'IN THE SUMMERTIME' did not include that song as a track. The LP was a kind of, "This is Mungo J" feature which successfully explored all the elements which made the Mungo sound. Interestingly, the opening number was Ray's tribute to the rock'n roll era, 'BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE'. It was an introduction to the hard rocking side which still dominates MJ to this day. All aspects of the group's sound were examined in, 'JOHNNY B.BADDE', a happy-go-lucky, hippy-busker song, the trad. arranged, 'SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUES', the sleazy good times of, 'MAGGIE', and another hippy anthem, 'PEACE IN THE COUNTRY'.

Individual influences were expressed in, PAUL KING's, 'SAD EYED JOE'. This was a charming little track driven by Paul with nice guitar work in the background by Ray. The little stop-start bit at the end makes you want to play it all over again. Paul also displayed his art and talent with, 'MOVIN'ON' and 'TRAMP', a sad reflective little piece on the plight of a homeless man.

COLIN EARL took full advantage of his brief to turn up the ivories and he did so with gusto on almost every track. He even got to sing his own composition, 'DADDIES BREW', which harked back to memories of the 'Killer', JERRY LEE LEWIS. I must interject however, that I actually know some real-life Revenue men who could drink the hero of this song under the table.

When PAUL KING has time to think, he would consider grand themes and serious topics for expression in his song writing. RAY DORSET, on the other hand would reflect upon the gravity of having been taken for a ride by a hooker who left him penniless and other important stuff like that. This was a kernel of the group's appeal; you had a band of accomplished musicians with a wild man as bandleader. If anyone needs confirmation of the heights of lunacy which this group could scale, listen to 'SEE ME'. No-one, we're sure, needs reminding of the high degree of skilled musicianship which ranged from, MIKE COLE's suave double bass to Paul's jangling banjo. Just cop an earful of MJ's only instrumental, 'MOTHERFUCKERBOOGIE'.

And suddenly, it was 1980.

TOGETHER AGAIN was acclaimed by many fans to have been the group's most musical release ever. Haven't they ever heard, 'BOOT POWER' ?

Some stuff on, 'TOGETHER AGAIN' sounds dated now because it was tailor-made to fit the prevailing disco influenced fashion at the time. It was important to consider the vantage point of the group in 1980. Ray was catering to an entirely different market from what he had in 1970 and MJ was enjoying a second bite of the cherry in the form of minor chart and touring success in Northern Europe - Britain excluded. The good thing about, 'TOGETHER AGAIN' were the fresh vibrant sounds, the new energy, the ability and will to experiment with new sounds (saxophones, etc) and Ray's confidence in his song writing. The downside is that the worst tracks sound like Ray had locked himself away for a weekend with some cheap session players and the result was like a bad Coca-Cola advert. The tracks;

TOGETHER AGAIN	A competent ballad, but it could be any group. Nothing distinctive about it.
ROCKIN' ON THE ROAD	A blatant attempt at disco-mania which missed by a mile.
COME DEEPER	I hate this! It's the kind of 'muzak' that they give to middle aged TV newscasters who suddenly decide that they want to sing on their own TV special
MISS YOU TONIGHT	Competent guitar-driven rocker. It's OK, but could be done by any group. It was more in reaction to market influences than an original MUNGO creation.
MARGUERITA	Lovely silvery sound and a great song. One of Ray's best ever.
HEART OF FIRE	Shades of STATUS QUO here. Nice lightweight one that's kind of bop along in the, 'JUST CAN'T SAY GOODBYE' mould.
KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR	Super version of the DYLAN standard. Ray got it right in every department with this one.
STAY WITH ME	KELLY MARIE-type disco job. I liked this - it's great party music.
SOMETHING ON MY MIND	Ray achieved a high degree of musical sophistication on this track.
HOW CAN I LIVE A LIE	The best track on this album. It's very imaginative and superbly crafted. It emphasises Mungo/Ray's musical maturity.

Almost unnoticed, another ten years ticked by.

RAY DORSET had a pragmatic philosophy for the world of showbiz since 1972. He has had it all and he has seen it all. There are no surprises left for him. It is very refreshing to learn that he is getting back to doing what MUNGO JERRY has always done best - enjoying to the full - on this album. We have always preferred studio albums to live recordings yet, 'SNAKEBITE' has a live feel to it. Track by track, it goes like this;

SNAKEBITE	Nice and Wasp(ish). Z.Z TOP meets MUNGO JERRY in a rock for rock's sake opener.
ALL I WANNA DO	A dreamy sound reinforced by some hypnotic guitar work.
REMEMBER ME	Plaintive ballad with a haunting air. Ray is in good voice.
SUGAR IN THE BOWL	This is the most refreshing track on, 'SNAKEBITE'. Get your Tardis out, time travellers roll the years away! Les, Jamei, Tim and Steve know just how to latch on to the original, MUNGO feel. Great stuff, accordion and all. Hearing this is like meeting an old friend after an absence of many years.
ROCK'N ROLL, ROCK'N ROLL	Ray explores his leather clad 50's muse again.
HEARTBREAK AVENUE	Tight unrelenting rocker.
PICK A BALE O'COTTON	No! This is where we get on our soapbox; Ray often trivialises his trad numbers and he often seems dismissive of this part of his musicianship as though it was an embarrassment to him. It's only embarrassing when it's done like this! Why torture such a jaded trad number to death when there are literally hundreds of little-known and unexplored WOODY GUTHRIE/LEADBELLY songs which are more deserving of a serious MUNGO rendition?
JESSE JAMES	Now that's more like it! Hear the difference?
RED LEATHER AND CHROME & RIGHT ON	Snakebite is, of course, the nickname for a potent brew made up of cider mixed with strong lager. It's also an appropriate description for these two powerful tracks.

1970 to 1990. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

P.S - I and countless others would love to hear a 90's RAY DORSET meets PAUL KING (with boogie supplied by COLIN EARL recording. How about us fans demanding one for issue through the fan club. Come on Ray, Paul, Colin, where's the harm?

MICK O'HANLON.

(No not Michael Jackson...the other MJ!)

One of the most significant singles of the mid-70's (and, I freely admit, one of my least favourite of all time) was, GEORGE McCRAE's, 'ROCK YOUR BABY', a transatlantic No.1 in the summer of 1974. Almost overnight, or so the UK charts seemed to suggest, disco was born. Hot on the heels of the Florida sound came Philly soul, BARRY WHITE, the all-platinum groove, and a host of others. If you can't beat'em, join'em, decided a host of smart white acts. THE BEE GEES were the best example of, well not exactly has-beens, but groups with better days behind them, who got wise to the funky rhythm, the 12" extended remix, the syn-drum and everything that went with them, and kick-started their career again in no uncertain terms. Hot on their heels came, ROD STEWART (D'ya Think I'm Sexy), WINGS (Goodnight Tonight), KISS (I Was Made For Lovin' You), and several others. MUNGO JERRY might have been among them, and it wasn't for the want of trying. Even while still signed to PYE's, DAWN label, RAY DORSET had been one step ahead of the pack. Remember the funky rock rhythm of 'WILD LOVE' in 1973?

Four years later, while signed to Polydor, RAY DORSET & MUNGO JERRY (as the record labels now read) proved that he/they knew more than a thing about assimilating the disco influence, without having to borrow GIORGIO MORODER or any of the other ace dance-smash producers. 'ALL THAT A WOMAN SHOULD BE' on the 'LOVIN IN THE ALLEY'S' LP (1977), and 'GET UP AND DANCE' and 'CAN'T GET TO YOU', on 'RAY DORSET & MUNGO JERRY' the following year, proved that. 'GET UP AND DANCE' would have made a perfect single if only Polydor had pulled their promotional finger out and got work on the 12"dance mix bandwagon. 'CAN'T GET TO YOU', I personally thought one of Ray's less successful efforts, lacking the sparkle of a good disco 45 (like DAVID BOWIE's lethargic 'LET'S DANCE', which I thought was rather overrated). Ray would doubtless disagree, as the song has turned up on European compilations as, 'NOTHING BUT A MAN', and on the 'SOUL PARTY' cassette-only 1984 release as 'I'M NOT SUPERMAN', rather incongruously as the other tracks on the latter are Soul standards cover versions. Polydor rather blew their chances with Ray. As CHRIS PARRY, label manager at the time, recently admitted, "the company and band were not a good marriage at the time. Polydor had not been successful and the act was not producing its best material during their days together". The greatest mistake the label made was not to release MUNGO's version of, 'FEELS LIKE I'M IN LOVE' as a single in Britain in 1977, on the grounds that Punk was the only thing that seemed to be selling at home. C'mon Polydor, didn't you have GLORIA GAYNOR and THE OLYMPIC RUNNERS on your roster as well? And didn't you distribute RSO Records, home of the not-so-unsuccessful soundtrack double album called, 'SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER'?

MUNGO's version of 'FEELS LIKE I'M IN LOVE' sounded similar in arrangement to TINA CHARLES's 1976 No.1, 'I LOVE TO LOVE'. As a double A-side with, 'SUR LE PONT D'AVIGNON', (which brings back fond memories of a disco I did in South Devon for a crowd of French youngsters a few years ago), it was a minor European seller for MUNGO in 1977, at a time when MUNGO releases were hardly being promoted at all. BARRY MURRAY, former MUNGO manager and producer and a longstanding friend of Ray, said that he was a fool not to have issued, 'FEELS LIKE I'M IN LOVE' as a 45 at the time. "He needs me back!" was his reaction when told the full story. However, you can't keep a good song down. Along came KELLY MARIE, who recorded it in 1979, and her version topped the UK charts for two weeks in September 1980. It thus made Ray, one of the few songwriters to top the singles chart with songs performed by himself and by other artists. Talking of THE OLYMPIC RUNNERS, their keyboard player was PETE WINGFIELD, already noted as a solo hit maker, ('EIGHTEEN WITH A BULLET'), music journalist, and producer for other artists (notably DEXY's MIDNIGHT RUNNERS at their peak). Pete co-produced some tracks with Ray on the 1980/81 MUNGO album, 'TOGETHER AGAIN', which still awaits UK release. Ironically, Pete was one of the writers asked for their 'best and worst' of 1972 by LET IT ROCK magazine. His worst singles of the year were, 'OPEN UP' by MUNGO and 'ROCK'N ROLL' by GARY GLITTER. Shame on you sir!

Ray has continued to record material aimed particularly at the dance floor, for example, some of the recent versions of 'IN THE SUMMERTIME', the German 1984 single 'STEP BY STEP', and 'KISSIN'IN THE SHADOWS', which can be found on the 'fan club only' cassette release, 'RAGGED AT THE EDGES'. Any DJ's out there, segue them with the odd oldie from CHIC or something from today's rave scene. You might be pleasantly surprised at the reaction.

JOHN VAN DER KISTE.