The 1973 Golden Rose edition is a good vintage thanks to:

Tony Bennett : inaugurates the new congress centre with Syd Laurence’s orchestra by devastating powerful in all regions of repertoire, swinging up tempo or romantic melody. Tony Bennett has greatly enriched the musical scene of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. His charming personality, that thoroughly distinctive voice, the dynamic stage presence, has all contributed to make him the star he is.

Les Olsen Brothers are a Danish rock/pop music duo. They form their first band, The Kids, in 1965. The Kids warm up for The Kinks in the K.B. Hallen in 1965 and release their first single in 1967. Both Jørgen and Niels Olsen participate in the musical Hair at Cirkusbygningen in Copenhagen, on March 1971, and go on tour afterwards through Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Olsen Brothers' first album comes out in 1972.

Gimmicks of Sweden : are the best known Scandinavian group on the international scene in the ‘70’s. Strangely enough, they are almost unheard of in Germany or Britain

Ralph McTell : makes his debut in 1968 with the album Eight Frames. Known for his virtuoso guitar style, he is primarily a prolific and gifted songwriter. With a style that invites you into a unique world, he weaves a narrative both significant and poignant.


Johnny Rivers : Among the most successful yet underrated solo acts of the 1960s, Johnny Rivers reels off a lengthy series of rock favourites which together sells over 30 million copies. Distinguished throughout by his reedy vocals and soulful guitar leads, Rivers' body of work is characterized by a rare consistency and versatility which stretches from his earnest yet rousing covers of R&B classics to his later, self-penned hits. Strongly influenced by the swamp-blues sound of his hometown of Baton Rouge, LA, Johnny Rivers - born John Ramistella in New York City on November 7, 1942 - picks up the guitar as a child and plays with local groups throughout his school years. Johnny Rivers performs in Montreux with his Los Angeles Boogie Band.

Focus : This Dutch quartet has a sound that is so startlingly different - it hits you first time. A powerful driving instrumental sound lightened by brilliant phonetic vocal effects that cut across like a knife. They also boast in Thijs Van Leer and Jan Akkerman two of the finest individual musicians of recent years.

Roy Buchanan : is definitely a legendary guitarist, one that other guitarists watch. He was born in Arkansas, son of a preacher, leaves home when he’s fourteen, goes to Los Angeles for a while and then on to San Francisco “to go live with the beatniks”. Rolling Stone has said that Roy Buchanan “may well be the best rock guitarist in the world”. Strong praise indeed for these musicians of recent years.

Stones the Crows : Maggie Bell has all the makings of a Janis Joplin but without the latter’s character faults, and the rest of the band, all experts in their own right, are the tightest around. To have them back in Montreux is a real pleasure.

Tir Na Nog is an Irish band of the early 1970s and consists of Leo O'Kelly and Sonny Condell. Its music mainly consists of own compositions, based on strong Celtic roots and typically featuring intricate acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. It tours the folk clubs of England and plays live on John Peel's radio show. It tours internationally, as a support act for various rock bands, including Jethro Tull, The Who and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Mama Lion : (replacing The Kinks), Produced by Neil Merryweather, Mama Lion is a group destined to show off the Joplinesque voice of Lynn Carey, a sculptural blonde beauty previously in Ivar Avenue Reunion. As often with the Merryweather outputs, the music is a rather loose mix of blues and rock. Its records are now mostly remembered for their sleeves, especially the first with Lynn Carey breastfeeding a lion cub.

Roxy Music : is Bryan Ferry, piano and vocals, who spends a long time involved in a form of three dimensional arts before eventually, in December 1970, influenced by Warhol, he forms Roxy Music. Andrew Mackay, saxophone & Oboe is very much into classical music. Then, returning from a trip to Italy, he’s raving about rock, and he’s one of the first to help Bryan Ferry develop Roxy. Eno could quite easily be acclaimed tec of Roxy’s electronic fusion with straight rock. From early days, Eno is electronically bizarre and plays synthesiser and tapes for Roxy Music. Phil Manzanera is the guitarist. Even through of Latin origin, his influences are named as Chuck Berry, Elvis, The Beatles and Soft Machine. His original group Quiet Sun was a rhythmic experiment and in 1972 he joines Roxy Music. Paul Thompson, professional drummer for the last five years, plays with Smokestack and back-up for Billy Fury before he joins Roxy Music in November 1971. The group is noted for its combination of idiosyncratic experimentation and sophisticated wit, evident in its literate lyrics, restrained instrumental virtuosity, and highly developed visual presentation, mainly directed by Ferry, that expropriates imagery from the realms of high fashion, kitsch, and commercial photography.

Millie Jackson : left her home in Thompson, Georgia, when she was fifteen and headed north to seek her fortune. She settles in Newark in 1959 to begin a career in singing and modelling, but, as time went by, singing becomes far more important than her modelling! Her vocal performances are distinguished by long, humorous, and explicit spoken sections in her music; she also records many disco songs, some dance music songs, and a few country styled songs. But she is first an R&B, soul music singer and songwriter.

Joe Simon : a rugged, handsome bachelor, was born in 1948 in the sleepy town of Simesport, Louisiana. Music has always had a strong influence on his life. “That region has a rich musical history” Joe says. “I grew up listening to rhythm and blues, jazz and gospel music”. When he’s 16, his family moves to Oakland, California, and in 1966, he finds instant success with his first release Teenager’s Prayer. The record brakes R&B and pop music charts wide open, giving Joe his first solid introduction to a national audience.

Sy Oliver : after Count Basie’s success at the 1972 final gala, an exceptional band is needed in 1973 - and it’s found in the Sy Oliver Orchestra. According to Melvin James, Sy is one of the most brilliant arrangers in the history of Jazz.

And for the desert the outstanding gala nights of:

Fats Domino : Fats begins his career at an early age playing and singing in his home town, in 1948, in the middle of the be-bop jazz era, he records a rhythm and blues number The Fat Man. This opens the doors to a career in what was renamed Rock ’n’ Roll. Hit follows hit: Goin’ Home, Whole Lotta Lovin, All By Myself, Blueberry Hill, Walkin’ to New Orleans.... Such are the success of these songs that he is, in 1973, in third position, after Elvis Presley and the Beatles, as far as record sales are concerned, with more than 100 million records sold and 22 Gold Discs. Inspite of this, Fats is still a charming, rather whimsical man, and jazz fans recognise in him a striking pianist who is a specialist in boogie woogie and an excellent singer of New Orleans type blues. Rock fans hail him as one of the greats of the era, the inimitable pioneer become legendary figure.