RAMATAM-RAMATAM-

As this is an American Project created by Mike Pinera with Mitch Mitchell on drums and April Lawton on lead guitar this might just tickle your senses a bit. This album was released in 1971 and is a Hard/Psych/Prog/Blues rock album with the intention to steer towards a jazzy/funk feel with a lot of Jimi Hendrix seasoning blend in to it.

Perhaps one´s should have higher expectations  when producer Tom Dowd is involved but here we got living proof that the producer must step in and say no and not let the band be left to their own devices.  Instead there´s a lot of brass/horn arrangements that tilt with the whole soundframe. The problem is what to focus for. It´s hard to digest the musical input due to the what is happening all around you. It´s like they are trying to top Everything and just go full throttle, everywhere!! Messy is the impression here.

The song´s are good fundamentaly but are so f**cked up with strange loops, effects and experimental vocal inputs that they don´t reach through. To bad because there are some gold nuggets buried in here.

Whatabout the drummer, Mitch Mitchell?? There´s a lot that doesn´t shine through and sometimes it is almost as they don´t extract the potential out of Mr. Mitchel. The striking abilities are great and the hit ratio is there but sometimes he´s stuck in “Loop” playing without anyway to get out of it. This is not one of Mitch better performances and very much so, he did leave the Project soon after this album was released.

Well If you´re interrested in an American disoriented Hard/Psych/Prog/blues record, this is up there as contender for first Place. The only benefit is the great guitar playing by April Lawton, with splendid riffs and technique. Great copies are out there and as you might just figured out the price tag is low for descent albums. There are reissues also but I just might give a head´s up warning that this is not that great of an album you thought it should be. Just a very  strange one.. 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

3-BAD-A DISAPPOINTMENT-