ASHKAN-“IN FROM THE COLD”

Released in1969 this album is just what you´d expect from the timeperiod. Heavy and very much prog and with attemps of tryin´to match Free or maybe even Joe Cocker but with their own angle of things. The guitar playing from Bob Weston is great. The vocals from Steve Bailey are howling and snorling.

As from a drummer side of things (Terry Sims) this record has a kind of funky feeling about the playing with lots of fills and floortoms and congas. The drums has a nice sustain sound about them even though you hear the early production faults. The producing suffers from a “blanket” kind of sound. It feels like you are listening to it through your nextdoor neighbours apartment.

Stand out tracks are “practically never happens”, “one of us two”. Maybe not the best songs on mother Earth but definitely a lot of medicinal herbs involved in those two…

As for a rock/prog/blues album this one got its own personality but lacks continuity. It´s to far apart between the songs, but yet it´s still a heavy album. Sad this is the one and only album from Ashkan.

Not an album to recommend for avarage Joe but if you like prog/rock/blues english style, this one´s right up your alley.

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-4- Cheesy-avarage.