Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan - Peculiar Friends

Name: Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan
Album: Peculiar Friends
Year: 1971
Style: Classic Rock, Psychedelic Funk, Jazz Fusion
Similar Bands: Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Cold Blood, Blood Sweat & Tears, Lighthouse
"One-Word" Review: Gritty Psych Show Tunes
Based Out Of: New Jersey / NYC
Label: Polydor

Cover, Back, Sleeve, Record

Inner Gatefold, Sleeve, Record

Peculiar Friends (1971)

1. Peculiar Friends 0:19
2. The Night I Got Out of Jail 3:44
3. Shootin' the Breeze 3:19
4. The Pickpocket 3:48
5. No Next Time 4:34 (single) /
6. Love Me 5:05
7. Fourteenth Street (I Can't Gat Together) 5:49
8. I Had Him Down 3:52
9. Down in the Cold 6:09 (single)

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Aram Schefrin - Writer, Arrangement, Producer, Guitar (Fisher Fidelity Standard Rock Band, DC LaRue, Cris Williamson, LaBelle, Lou Reed)
  
• Michael Zager - Writer, Arrangement, Producer, Keys (Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band, Moon Band, M-Zee Band, Fisher Fidelity Standard Rock Band, DC LaRue, Cris Williamson, LaBelle, Take Five, Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, Mary lou Retton, Elusion, Spinners, Johnny Guitar Watson, DJ Valium, Genya Ravan, Street Corner Symphony, Cryer & Ford, Saint & Stephanie, Dee Edwards, Alvin Fields, more )
• Geyna Ravan - Writer, Arrangement, Vox, Harp (Goldie & the Gingerbreads, Denny Greene, Lou Reed, Blue Oyster Cult, Ronnie Spector, Gamma, Joy Rider. Flowerpot Men, Joey Ramone, Doughboys, Palmyra Delran, Fanny Walked the Earth, Michael Des Barres, Shady Lady, Kracker, Goldie Zelkowitz, Jay-Z)
• Blake Hines - Bass
• David Williams - Drums
• Alan Gauvin - Reeds  (Woody Herman, Bill Wartrous, Pratt Bros Big Band, Killer Force, Thundering Herd, Buddy Rich, Twiggs, Rich Shemaria)
• Dean Pratt - Trumpet (NY Neophonic Orch, Panama Friends & Savoy Sultans, Pratt Bros Big Band, Clifford Jordan, Killer Force, DMP Big Band, NTXSU Lab Band, Joel Kaye, Chris Robison, Buddy Rich, Bill Warfield, Leon Redbone, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton)
• Tom Malone - Trombone (3:00 Lab Band, Black Light Orch, Blood Sweat & Tears, Child is Father to the Man, Dude Skile's Hot Combustion, Gil Evans, Orquesta Palenque, Blues Brothers Band, Brass Attack Horns, CBS Orch, Mon Night Orch, NTXSU Lab Band, RCO All-Stars, SNL Band, Ultimate Onions, World's Most Dangerous Band, Woody Herman, Mylon, OT Zappo, more) 
• Danny Stiles - Trumpet (Sal Salvador, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Bill Watrous, Woody Herman, Herman & Puente, Maxwell Davis, Chris Connor, Bill Russo, Peggy Lee, Incredible Jimmy Smith, Oscsar Peterson Trip, Manny Albam, JJ Johnson, Pat Williams, T-Bone Walker, Singers Unlimited, Jake Hanna, Bette Midler, Nat Pierce, James Brown, Gerry Mulligan)
• Frank Frint - Trumpet
• Jay Messina - Engineer
• David L'Heureux - Cover Art, Album Design
• Triano-Gatefold Art
• Lou Podover - Photos
• Chuck Pulin -Photos

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but I always enjoy a nice gatefold album I've never heard: that usually means more care has gone into the album & packaging. I do like the Alice in Wonderland-like artwork, calling them peculiar friends, which is also the album and lead track name. Never heard of the name dropped singer, Genya Ravan, but from the design, I imagine this is pretty straight forward classic rock, maybe with a touch of Psych from the Alice/Mr. Toad's Wild Ride-inspired sketches.

Album Review: The album is definitely a classic rock with powerful female vocals, thinking Joplin/Slick with all the variants present within the classic rock realm: psych, garage, funk, rock, gospel, and even some slow ballads. Even through The Night I Got Out of Jail is a driving, fun rocker, overall this is not for me, but it sounds typical of the sound & period.
The band had already found considerable success and acclaim by this, the third album, and Rayan was ready to leave the band. They had played some big festivals and high profile venues like Fillmore East (where Rayan performed part of the show topless with body paint) and Carnegie Hall. The band survived 6 years total, a lead singer and record label changes, but it was a big starting block for Michael Zager's disco career. The band was also inspirational in the face of a male dominated field for Bette Midler & her writing of The Rose.

Stand Out Track: The Night I Got Out of Jail

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Sputnik Music

Mountain - Flowers of Evil

Name: Mountain
Album: Flowers of Evil
Year: 1971
Style: Prog, Southern Bluesy Rock, Classic Rock
Similar Bands: Black Sabbath, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bloodrock
"One-Word" Review: Mystical jam-band metal.
Based Out Of:  Long Island, NYC
Label: Windfall, Bell Records, Columbia Pictures

Cover, Record

Record, Back

Flowers of Evil (1971)

1. Flowers of Evil 4:53
2. King's Chorale 1:04 (instrumental)
3. One Last Cold Kiss 3:45
4. Crossroader 4:47
5. Pride and Passion 7:05 /
6. Dream Sequence (live Fillmore East 1971) 24:27
1. Guitar Solo
2. Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry cover)
3. Variations
4. Swan Theme
7. Mississippi Queen (live Fillmore East 1971) 3:53

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Leslie West - Guitar, Vox (Vagrants, West Bruce and Laing, David Rea, Dana Valery, Joe Bonamassa, John Entwhistle Band, Clutch, Michael Schenker Group, Voices of Classic Rock, Todd Wolfe & Under the Radar, Jolliver Arkansaw, Mylon, Felix Cavaliere, Deadly Nightshade, Bo Diddley, Dion, Gillian, Billy Joel, Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus, The Who, Joe Lynn Turner, Randy Coven, Don Nix, Ozzy Osbourne, Hotshot, Ian Gillan, Johnny Winter, Eli Cook)
• Felix Pappalardi - Bass, Vox, Producer (Cream, Pompeii, Devil's Anvil, The Flock, The Realists, Jack Bruce, David Rea, Natural Gas, Jesse Colin Young, Creation, Gasolin', Dead Boys', Casey Anderson, Vince Martin, Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, Richard & Mimi Farina, Tom Rush, Ian & Sylvia, Spider John Koerner, Tim Rose, Bo Grumpus, Kensignton Market, Bunky & Jake, Jolliver Arkansaw, Mylon, John Sebastian, Eric Clapton, Bedlam, Back Door, Eddie Mottau, Sierra, Tim hardin, Vagrants, Tom Paxton)
• Corky Laing - Drums (West Bruce and Laing, Energy, Bartholomew Plus Three, Cork, Pompeii, The B+3, Leslie West Band, The Mix, Jason Hartless, David Rea, Mylon, Dana Valery, Mahogany Rush, Bo Diddley, Tony Wilson, Charlie Karp & Name Droppers, Men Without Hats, Lost & Profound,  JD Blackfoot, David Grahame, Visitors From Bellatrix)
• Steve Knight - Keys (Devil's Anvil, Wings, Feenjon Group, Herbie Mann, George Mgrdichian Ensemble, Andrea Glass, Yacov Dan)
• Gail Collins Pappalardi - Writer, Lyrics
• Bob d'Orleans - Engineer
• Judy Szekely - Asst. Engineer
• Gail Collins - Cover
• Bud Prager - Exec. Producer
• Music Agency - Graphics Coordination

Unknown-ness: Never heard of Mountain. I picked this up in a Goodwill Thrift record stack along side a Mothers of Invention album, so I assume this is going to be similar: odd, avant garde pop. Their band name artwork looks a little spiritual/renaissance/baroque/new agey, so it might go that direction, too.

Album Review: The album's studio side has a theatrical, rock opera, concept theme going on (about drug abuse in Vietnam), perhaps a little like some of early Ween's classic rock, face melting songs, even if this record is not that face melting. Side B is recorded live at the Fillmore East in 1971. The first "track" is a 24 min 30 sec medley that has Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" mixed in. Leslie West was the main artist behind Mountain, as the band name is taken from West's first solo album, which refers to his large size and stature. They were a unique sound, blending elements that they were able to fit together very naturally. They soared at Woodstock's Saturday Night stage, only the band's fourth every live performance. After that, they released their first proper album, featuring the classic rock and cowbell hit Mississippi Queen, featured on here as a gritty, filthy live version. Pappalardi was shot & killed by his wife in 1983, and she served about a year in jail. With him gone, West and Laing have regrouped and recorded Mountain albums off an on into the aughts. Some verison of Mountain will still perform today with West & Laing composing the core.

Stand Out Track: One Last Cold Kiss

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Paul and Linda McCartney - RAM

Name: Paul and Linda McCartney
Album: Ram
Year: 1971
Style: Pop, Indie Pop
Similar Bands: Beatles obviously. Badfinger, Kinks, 
"One-Word" Review: Oh-this-is-a-McCartney-Album-Duh.
Based Out Of: Liverpool, England
Label: Apple Records

Cover, Back, Record

Gatefold, Record

Ram (1971)

1. Too Many People 4:09
2. 3 Legs 2:46
3. Ram On 2:30
4. Dear Boy 2:14
5. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey 4:50 (single, #1 in US)
6. Smile Away 4:01 / 
7. Heart of the Country 2:22
8. Monkberry Moon Delight 5:25
9. Eat At Home 3:22 (single)
10. Long Haired Lady 6:05
11. Ram On 0:55
12. Back Seat of My Car 4:29 (single)

Album Rating (1-10): 9.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Paul McCartney - Producer (Wings, Beatles)
• Linda McCartney - Producer, Photos (Rockestra, Suzy & the Red Stripes, Wings, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, more )
• David Spinozza - Guitar (Buddy Rich, Giant, Mike Mainieri, Ernie Wilkins, The Goggles, The Niff Bros, Phoenix Authority, SNL Band, White Elephant, Garland Jeffreys, John Denver, Jim Carroll, Don McLean, BB King, Herbie Mann more)
• Hugh McCracken - Guitar (Chuck Bene & the Mice, Genuine John, Mike Mainieri, Leon Thomas Blues Band, Writers, White Elephant, Gordon Lightfoot, Janis Ian, BB King, more)
• Denny Seiwell - Drums (Wings, J&K, Billy Mitchel, Pacheco & Alexander, Jeremiah, Gary McFarland, Lotti Golden, Karen Dalton, Bobby Gosh, Gilberto, Billy Joel, John Bassette, Randy Edelman, Bill Quateman, Donovan, Thornton, Fradkin & Unger, Don Preston, Melanie, Andy Fairweather, Michael d'Abo, Mike McGear, Art Garfunkel, Keith & Donna, Juice Newton, Liza Minnelli, Rick Danko, Diana Hubbard, Mary Russell, Jerry Williams, Jennifer Warnes, Wornell Jones, Dave Lambert, Flower, Tim Hardin, Janis Joplin, Buzzy Linhart, Denice Williams, Denny Laine, Cris Williamson, Carol Joy Robins, Johnny Bennett, Margie Gibson, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Lon & Derrek Van Eaton, Flip Wilson, Bob Dylan, Mary Kay Place, Stanley Turrentine, Kai Winding, JJ Johnson)
• Marvin Stamm - Flugal Horn (Bob Mntzer, Duke Pearson, Enoch Light & Light Brigade, Oliver Nelson, Stan Kenton, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, American Jazz Orch, Charlie Calello, George Grunts, Hotel Orch, Inventions Trio, Jazz Interactions Orch, Bob Stroup, Ed Soph, Woody Herman, Westchester Jazz Orch more)
• NY Philharmonic Orchaestra - Strings
• Eirik the Norwegian - Mix Engineer
• Armin - Sound Engineer
• Dixon - Sound Engineer
• Jim - Sound Engineer
• Phil - Sound Engineer
• Ted - Sound Engineer
• Tim - Sound Engineer

Unknown-ness: My thrift store copy of this record was somewhat beat up, so i could not make out the picture on the front clearly. Also, with no mention of Paul or Linda on the cover, i didn't know what it was, and was not familiar enough with McCartney's catalogue that i'd recognize the album. I remember thinking that it looked like an interesting, weathered album, so it might be good from the amount of use. But i don't remember what i expected that i was buying, so i can't give this one a good prediction.

Album Review: Most of the album picks up where the Beatles were heading, released almost exactly a year after Let It Be, the final Beatles album. Released during a turbulent period between Paul & John, some lyrics are interpreted to be slights against the latter, leading to the official, legally recognized Beatles break up. The support band for the album was hired under the pretense that they'd be working on a commercial jingle in NYC. There's so much out there, it feels pointless to write more, except my stand out track Monkberry Moon Delight (featuring Linda's eldest on background vox) sounds like a Man Man song, which is one of my favorite bands of all time.

Stand Out Track: Monkberry Moon Delight

Links:

Wiki for the album

Pitchfork

Pauls website

discogs

allmusic

beatles bible

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popmatters

(the) Stylistics - s/t & Round 2

Name: (the) Stylistics
Album: s/t* & Round 2~
Years: 1971*, 1972~
Style: R&B, Soul
Similar Bands: Spinners, Harold Melvin & Blue Notes, Bee Gees, Del-Fonics, Al Green, O'Jays, Four Tops
One Word Review: Delicate Pre-Disco Ballad Scores
Based Out Of: Philadelphia, PA
Label: AVCO

 s/t - Cover & Record

s/t - Back & Record

Round 2 - Cover & Record

Round 2 - Back & Record

s/t (1971)*

1. Stop, Look Listen (to your heart) - 2:54
2. Point of No Return 2:45
3. Betcha By Golly Wow 3:47
4. Country Living 2:57
5. You're A Big Girl Now 3:14 /
6. You Are Everything 2:55
7. People Make the World Go Round 6:26
8. Ebony Eyes 2:21
9. If I Love You 2:05

Round 2 (1972)~

1. I'm Stone In Love With You 3:19
2. If You Don't Watch Out 2:34
3. You & Me 2:43
4. It's Too Late 4:37
5. Children of the Night 7:00 /
6. You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) 3:38
7. Break Up to Make Up 4:00
8. Peek-A-Boo 2:53
9. You're Right as Rain 3:46
10. Pieces 3:09

Album Rating (1-10):*7.0

~6.0

Members & Other Bands:

Thom Bell - Produced, Conducted, Arranger*

Russell Thompkins Jr - Lead Vox*~ (Monarchs, Russel Thompkins Jr & The New Stylistics)

Airrion Love - Vox*~ (Monarchs)

James Smith - Vox*~ (Monarchs)

Herb Murrell - Vox*~ (The Percussions)

James Dunn - Vox*~ (The Percussions)
Linda Creed - Vox*~ (Spinners, Dusty Springfield, Phyllis Hyman)
Barbara Ingram - Vox*~ (The Sweethearts of Sigma, The Philadelphia Angels, The Sweeties, The Sweethearts, Ingram Kingdom...many more as back up)
Norman Harris - Guitar*~(MFSB, Salsoul Orchestra, and producer to many others)
Roland Chambers - Guitar*~
Ronnie Baker - Bass*~ (The Trammps)
Earl Young - Drums*~(The Trammps, Harold Melvin & Blue Notes, Ten City, MFSB, Salsoul Orchestra and many others in the Gamble & Huff era)
Larry Washington - Congas*~
Vince Montana - Percussion*~ (MFSB, Salsoul Orchestra, many, many more, including the Pet Shop Boys)
Lenny Pakula - Piano, Organ*~
Joe DeAngelis - French Horn*~
Stephanie Fauber - French Horn*~
Robert Martin - French Horn*~
Rocco Bene - Trumpet*~
Bobby Hartzell - Trumpet*~
Jack Faith - Alto Sax, Flute*~
George Shaw - Flute*~
Vincent Forchetti - Trombone*~
Bob Moore - Trombone*~
Richard Genevese - Trombone*~
Don Renaldo - Strings*~
Tony Sinagogo - Strings*~
Albet Berone - Strings*~
Rudy Malzia - Strings*~
Alngelo Pretrella - Strings*~
Romeo Di Stefano - Strings*~
Charles Apollonia - Strings*~
Davis Barnett - Strings*~
Richard Jones - Strings*~
Hershel Wise - Strings*~
Mary Gale - Harp*~
Fredric Cohen - Oboe*~

Umknown-ness: I have heard of them, but never associated anything to them. I'm pretty confident in  assuming that it is going to be Philly-soul/R&B, since there are hints at that all over the back covers. I'm not sure the order or when I got these records, but I like the huge contrast in artistic style between their breezy, psychedelic self titled cover and the socially & politically charged Round 2 only a year later.

Album Reviews: The Stylistics were one of the early 70’s bands that fit in nicely with the Philly sound, and were one of the most productive and charting bands. The band had 12 top-ten US R&B singles in a row, and a bevy of famous backing help made these first two albums sell very well, and offered a distinguished resume of Gamble & Huff contributing and studio artists. There is even a variation of the Stylistics still playing and touring today (2016). They were inducted into the Vocal Group HOF in 2004. And the was more than once where I swear I was about to listen to the Four Tops “Ain’t No Women Like the One I’ve Got.”

“Stop, Look Listen (to Your Heart)” was a single. It is light and airy, similar to early Bee Gees, with lots of vocal harmonies popping up here and there. This melody is slow and crawling. The soaring falsetto vocals offer a tender mood.
“Point of No Return” picks up the bubblegum pop beat a little more, and is a more fun song. It has more of a doo-wop feel than the adult contemporary smooth R&B. The Falsetto vocals lend themselves to early disco sound, but that’s easy to say, knowing what was to come next.

“Betcha By Golly Wow” was a single. It slows the tempo down again, but with confidence. Swirls of strings and woodwinds create a magical soundscape.
“Country Living” starts out sounding like it could be a Belle & Sebastian song. The only difference is the vocals, but I could easily hear Stuart’s twee vocals fill in for the falsetto. It is a steady, jangly tempod song with some punchy vocals punctuated with strings bursting in the background and following in melody. It features a repetitive backing vocal that could also be taken advantage of it were it a B&S song.

“You're A Big Girl Now” was a single and regional hit on Sebring records before they were picked up by AVCO. The song has a little of a Jamaican vibe, and is not immediately led by Thompkin’s vocals, although he does take over for the verses. There is a breakdown that features spoken word, deep vocals talking to the presumptive daughter, echoed by the falsetto vocals, almost like he’s reading a letter in a memory.

“You Are Everything” was a single. I recognize this song. It is a slow and steady ballad, with double layered harmonic vocals that break away from each other to take occasional turns. There are swirling ambient effects, and the term lush is very fitting for the accompanying music.
“People Make the World Go Round” was rerecorded by Mac Dorsey and used in Spike Lee’s Crooklyn. It has a slow, delicate vibe, and is even a little sinister, in a James Bond way. It feels like a slower version of the Four Tops’ “Ain’t No Women Like the One I’ve Got.” The song is unnecessarily lengthy, where it repeats the same vibes hook over and over with slight flute and other percussive effects varying underneath.

“Ebony Eyes” is a nice little basic tune. It features a fun, rolling vocal melody, and simple music accompaniment.

“If I Love You” is much grander, with a whole orchestra of pulsing effects, and pre-disco film scoring. The sentiment is upbeat and fun. The vocals sore over the precise score, supported mostly by strings when they do.

“I'm Stone In Love With You” opens with a quiet, early morning folky Disney cartoon melody with a burgeoning energy. The song progresses methodically, but delicately.

“If You Don't Watch Out” has a nice side to side doo-wop pop melody and tempo. It is polite and non-threatening, but a very catchy beat, maybe a bit like the Sesame Street theme.

“You & Me” is a little darker, but still, nothing threatening. The chorus loops back on itself, supported by strings, is more pre-disco in style, like a less coked-up hustle.

“It's Too Late” is a cover of the Carol King song, but I honestly did not recognize it until the chorus hit. It was also covered in 1972 by Billy Paul & The Isley Brothers. This version begins with a bass hook and vibes, followed by horns, which sounds like it could set up the scene for a gritty 70’s cop drama. The song levels out, and loses the edge as the vocals are added and on display.
“Children of the Night” begins with children’s vocals at play in the distance. The ballad is slow and thoughtful. It is cautious, adding a little darkness into the melody. The song wanders as it hits the instrumental section for the last two minutes, featuring a guitar solo accompanied by some la-la-la-la’s; all done precisely.

“You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)” picks up with the 70’s love boat vibe of strings and congas. The vocals are light and airy here, and build up to a plateau in the chorus.

“Break Up to Make Up” was a single. It brings us back to the slow ¾ dance ballad. This song is at least famous enough for me to recognize too. It is sentimental and reflective.

“Peek-A-Boo” enters with a drum fill, and has a slightly more upbeat tempo than BU2MU, but it still falls on the side of a reflective slow dance, and a little Four Tops.

“You're Right as Rain” begins with piano only. It feels like a reprise of some of their other songs fit together. Slow, ballady and reflective make up the familiar refrain.

“Pieces” ends the album on a bit of a fun, R&B tone, with more proto-disco, thanks to the vocal melody and string accompaniment. It is steady paced, not rampant and swirling, and ends as a fade out.

Stand Out Track* Country Living
~If You Don't Watch Out

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Bloodrock - 3

Artist: Bloodrock

Album: 3

Year: 1971

Style: Hard Rock, Psych Rock

Similar Artists: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Butterfly, AC DC, Deep Purple, Santana, Ted Nuget, Doors, Led Zeppelin

"One-Word" Review: Psych-Prog Shuffling Jive

Based Out Of: Fort Worth, TX

Label: Chung Sheng Records, CSJ Records (Taiwan)

 3 - Cover & Record

3 - Back & Record

3 (1971)

1. Jessica 4:40
2. Whiskey Vengeance 4:12
3. Song for a Brother 5:15
4. You Gotta Roll 5:05/
5. Breach of Lease 9:05
6. Kool-Aid Kids 6:12
7. A Certain Kind 4:12
8. America, America 1:20

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:
Rick Cobb - Composer, Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Ed Grundy - Bass, Composer, Vocals (The Naturals, Crowd +1)
Stephen Hill - Keyboards, Vocals (Crowd +1)
Hugh Hopper -Composer
Terry Knight - Producer (Grand Funk Railroad)
John Nitzinger - Composer (Nitzinger, Alice Cooper)
Lee Pickens - Guitar, Vocals (Crowd +1, Lee Pickens Group, Easter Island)
Jim Rutledge - Composer, Vocals (The Naturals, Crowd +1)
Nick Taylor - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (The Naturals, Crowd +1)

Unknown-ness:

I’ve never heard of this band. But I found it sitting in a dollar bin of a record shop in New Orleans, and I could not pass up the Americana cover, dripping in patriotic blood. This seemed like as good of a localish southern rock style as what I could expect. Furthermore, this was a Japanese pressing, with most of the text in Asian characters (except for the lyrics to their album-ending track), so i'm thoroughly confused. I can only assume it is going to be some racist country rock.

Album Review: So nobody too famous had a hand in this band, but they were an early band that came from the Fort Worth Texas area, and at the height of feel good folksy music, they were making something else entirely, blending fast metal-like riffs, psychedelic production and prog sensibility.

“Jessica” has a dark bouncy bass beat to open up the album, followed by psychedelic organ and guitars. The tambourine and upbeat rhythms remind me of pop 60’s beatnik numbers. The vocals are somewhat deep and haunting, think Screaming Trees. It has a definite psych vibe to it, but it really drives and rocks as well. There is an ambulance siren urgency in the instrumental section that makes up the vocal less chorus. After the second incarnation of the chorus, the instrumental is extended with even more psych organ and progressive guitars.
“Whiskey Vengeance” Continues the urgency right off the bat with a forcefully aggressive and fast melody. The psych chorus echoes, reminding me of Black Sabbath or something equally dark. The organ in the background gives it a psych pop anchor. This too, has instrumental jazzy freak out sections like Jessica does. This seems to have a similar melody, just a stripped down, and slightly sped up, simpler version. It ends with a long, repetitive yet interesting instrumental.
“Song for a Brother” slows down the sprint-paced songs to a piano rock song that oscillates between thoughtful slow psych southern rock to jazzy/classic pop instrumental verse, akin to the Doors. The slow down, slow-motion head banging chorus sections are actually pretty great.
“You Gotta Roll” has a grand Beatles-like intro, but quickly rolls right into a rollicking southern rock song, somewhat like the Blasters. It has a good build, and the follow through is rewarding with lots of vocal energy. The backing rhythmic beat is very bouncy, as the melody continues to roll over; scale after repetitive building scale. And just when you think the song might end, it extends itself for 2 extra minutes of bop-doo-wops and a minute long crunchy guitar solo that somehow stays within the boundaries that the song has created.

“Breach of Lease” is a super long 9 minute song, that rolls up quietly and ethereally. Echoing spacey guitar notes build a new-agey soundscape that is blurry off in the distance. Crooning vocals are added, showing their range and note holding ability, then like a sludge wash, heavy dark chords, akin to Iron Man or War Pigs, erase the ethereal scene, if only for a minute, only to vanish again, like they never happened. The succession repeats again, and the power chords come back, only this time to join and reshape the song’s structure. They meld classic rock and prog together very effectively. This is music you can really appreciate, even if you don’t like it. The guitar solo and heavy chords balance out each other gracefully in the instrumental at about 5:30. The song is then born anew, reverting back to the quiet, peaceful stage we were first introduced to. The song could be the soundtrack to a short film, complete with three acts of climactic struggle. This is their War Pigs. And it is good, ending with a cymbals and a single heavy chord.
“Kool-Aid Kids” brings it back to the Doors-like classic rock and shuffling jive pop rock…reminding me a bit of The Monkees “Goin’ Down” if heavied up a bunch. It slows down to a near stop, in some sort of tripping freak out, the voices echo and seem to spin around, as if the song was at the floating point of a trip right before sickness. It twitters and tinkers with melody thanks to the organ, and kicks back in with guitar solos over top the same jittery psych organ. Right before the instrumental section at 5 min, there is a great evil carnival-like section scaling down, and is piercingly bold.
“A Certain Kind” starts off as a piano ballad, Think of Steve Perry with more grit and honest feeling. The sad melody continuously rolls along with very little down time, and is aided with a sax more associated with cheesy 80’s production. The familiar organ is added, and the song picks up the mood, but continues with the same tempo. The song ends with piano only, with a melody that is so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it (a song that is conventionally poppy, that breaks form and just has a tinkling piano bit for a short section.)
“America, America” is a sad, folksy reflection on America and how it was in 1971 compared to older, forgotten days. The song is still relevant, and could ironically compare how things are today to back in 1971. It is slow and stops very abruptly, as if the record has been cut off right at the joys of living. Life apparently has stopped for Bloodrock in America, and that is the image the song projects. These are the lyrics that appear on the back of the record.

Stand Out Track: Jessica

Links:

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Cactus - Restrictions

Name: Cactus
Album: Restrictions
Year: 1971
Style: Southern Bluesy Rock
Similar Bands: Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, CSNY, Black Crows, Blind Melon, 70's Kinks,
"One-Word" Review: Lame-Musician's-Musicians-Jammy-Rock
Based Out Of: Long Island, NY
Label: Atco, Atlantic,

Restrictions - Cover & Record

Restrictions - Back & Record

Restrictions (1971)

1. Restrictions 6:17
2. Token Chokin' 3:07
3. Guiltless Glider 8:45 /
4. Evil 3:14
5. Alaska 3:38
6. Sweet Sixteen 3:17
7. Bag Drag 5:11
8. Mean Night In Cleveland 2:10

Album Rating (1-10): 4.5

Members & Other Bands:Carmine Appice - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vox (Vanilla Fudge, Beck Bogert & Appice, Rod Stewart Band, King Kobra, Pearl)
Tim Bogert - Bass, Backing Vox (Chessmen, Pigeons, Vanilla Fudge, Beck Bogert & Appice, Pieces, Boxer)
Rusty Day - Lead Vox, Harmonica, Percussion (Amboy Dukes)
Jim McCarty - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar (Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels, Buddy Miles Express, Rockets)
Ron LeeJack - Slide Guitar
Albhy Galuten - Piano
Eddie Kramer - Recording Engineer
Dave Palmer - Recording Engineer, Mixing
Gene Paul - Recording Engineer
Ronnie Albert - Recording Engineer
Carl Richardson - Recording Engineer
Geoffrey Haslam - Mixing, Producer
Patrick D'Angelo - Cover Painting & Design
Jeff Mayer - Liner Photo

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys, but when I saw the simple name and the interesting surrealism artwork, I wanted to give it a shot. Would it be wacky prog, or catchy new wave? From the hippie appearance on the back cover, I am assuming it will be more of a light 70’s rock feel. The packaging is in bad shape, but I do like the cover; especially the phallic cactus bursting out of the ground…nice touch, Cactus.

Album Review: I’ve looked around about this band a bit and discovered that they were greatly compared as the American Led Zeppelin and/or a choice fall back band for Dead fans. Either case, the band was created as a supergroup, where the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge was trying to attract Jeff Beck, who could not make it due to an auto accident, and Rod Stewart, who also faded as a candidate due to the accident. All in all, I’d say this has the prospect of being funky, jammy, and for my tastes, somewhat boring.

“Restrictions” begins with drums, then electric guitar soon to follow, blasting off then retreating quickly for the quiet vocal introduction. Then the song finds its bluesy southern rock groove, and reminds me a lot of the Black Crows. Vocally, the singer could be trying to capture the raspiness of Jimmy Page, and the guitar solo whines and rocks out. But the heart of the song is the bluesy backing vocals and bar room atmosphere. Around 3:30, the song breaks from its driving force for a Blind Melon like quiet breakdown. The song then returns for few minutes of meandering jamming before it fades out with the repeating backing chorus.“Token Chokin'” is another southern song, this one more swampy and dripping than before. It’s played in the Kinks 70’s jug band style, but without the hooks and catchiness the Kinks have. I hear a bit of the Rolling Stones in the vocals here too. Parts of the song are really good, like the build up that doesn’t slink back into the boring chorus, but picks up and carries the pace and momentum a while longer. Unfortunately, my record was badly scratched and I cannot play this entire song…only about 2:20 through. But I got the idea.
“Guiltless Glider” is a long 8:30+ song that begins with a slinky, marching bass line. The drums come in for support, and the lead guitar wails and croons as it travels its own way. By the first minute, they’ve developed a nice hook. But the echoing vocals make this feel like a dirty 90’s hair/alternative band. I’m thinking of an Ugly Kid Joe ballad, or something. The vintage 70’s hair band metal chimes in at about 3 minutes with the Page (but a little more contained) like vocals and the commanding guitar backing him up. The guitars, drums and bass all get to play together in the middle of the song for the instrumental breakdown, which fills the space very nicely. The interplay is interesting and never dull as it builds until it seems to loose all energy. The drums take over for a true-solo, giving the rest a rest. Then after the instruments come back for a short prog-like section, the original bass line picks up again to finish out the song with a fade.

“Evil” feels like Led Zep, repeating powerful guitar sections broken up with drum fills and raspy angry-like vocals. This is the typical atmosphere you might picture if a gospel church turned over and worshipped the other imaginary side. It is like an evil gospel, so I can see why metal music is often equated with satanic ritual…that is what the music and vocals suggest. The music is good, it continuously builds and rotates around, where it could go on in its riff forever.“Alaska” sounds like the opposite of what you would imagine for Alaska…it is full of harmonica and gives off the air of a hot southern summer porch jug band stomp. It is bluesy, but the vocals are all about Alaskan things, so it ends up trying to juxtapose the two areas together, but the bluesy south wins out over the vocal context of penguins and snow shoes. “Sweet Sixteen’s” first couple of notes remind me terribly of the Matchbox 20 song “Smooth.” But it quickly turns into a driving guitar powered southern metal song. And I’m ashamed I even thought about that song in the first place, but that does not mean I like the song. It had a loud and abrasive electric guitar instrumental section. The song ends very abruptly“Bad Drag” took me back to watching Dazed and Confused. I’m reminded at first of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” but the song is tamer than that, and by far more funky. Perhaps a bit Psychedelic, like Iron Butterfly. The screaming agony of how bad the drag is seems out of place a bit, and is definitely over the top. The song ends with people talking.
“Bad Night In Cleveland” ends the album with a quiet fade in and does not begin until around 25 seconds. It is a bluesy ballad, and gives the image of one guy out on his front porch playing the guitar and complaining about the weather, his dog, or wife. Or in this case, a bad night in Cleveland, I guess. It is mostly instrumental, and it adds the harmonica at the end. It is sad and toe tapping depressing, but it is the blues, so it’s how it is supposed to be.

Stand Out Track: Token Chokin' 

Links:allmusic
Wikipedia
Cactus Webpage
myspace
Columbus Dispatch Newspaper
Star Online
Tim Bogert
Carmine Appice