PETER KAUKONEN-BLACK KANGAROO-

If you put all your nutritious vegetables in your blender, you´ll probably get a more flovoured taste than just eating them one by one. This album is the vinyl concept of the very same thing. A good wholesome mix of Everything and in between. Hard/Blues/Psych/prog rock songs share the space together with softer tunes. A Brilliant mix!!

Peter Kaukonen is the younger brother of Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson airplane/Hot tuna and is a multitaskin instrumentalist with a mile long collaboration sheet. This is his first solo effort and released in 1972. The production is a top notch story with dynamic bass together with a great drum sound and a perfect harmony with the other instruments. The vocal input is like a sugar coating on top of Everything. This is truly a producer´s wet Dream. Impressive work!! 🙂

Whatabout hte drummers, Shelley Silverman and Joey Convington?? The immediate response would be that there are very Little to seperate these fellows behind the drumkit. The striking abilities are similar and the drive together with a Heavy approach brings this album up several notches and the hit ratio is an impressiva affair. I like what I´m hearing and these fellows got some really good tricks to bring back to the rehearsal room. A big thumbs up!! Very solid work!! 🙂

So is this something to invest in? The answer is no unless you are a fan of Hard/Blues/psych/prog rock Music with a differential songs that really get you nowhere in sense of direction. This is a free falling experience with a recognaciable feeling of Carlos Santana and Jimmy Hendrix. A bit spacey…. But yet, the musical craftmanship is up with the best and the album sound so good that just this might convince you for a tryout. Great copies are out there, both reissues and original so why not give it a try. You certainly will be one of the lonely owners….. 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK!-WORTH EXPLORING-

SLEAZE-SLEAZE-

Reaching down in the bottom of the barrel of mysterious and obscure bands this one´s gotta to have a Place on the list. As Tim Smith later on would earn his fame under the name T.V Smith of the Adverts, this selfreleased album recorded during a two hour set in the studio for the reasonable sum of  £38,88 and only pressed into 50 copies, it is a true rarity! The release year is 1975…just Before the door would burst into punkrock.

The production is plain story but with a distinct sound of proto Punk/Glam/Hard rock. The impressive delivery with no overdubs and great vocals just fits the bill. The songs are strong in a timetypical manor. Nothing strong enough to rock the World but as a sideline in the Commercial ´70s this is really good. Influences of Iggy Pop and David Bowie is unintentional but very charming. This is a great record in that sense with no intention to reach for the hit lists. Impressive work!!

Whatabout the drummer, Dave Heath?? Well as this is pretty much a Demo deLuxe recordig, this fellow is running like a Volvo. Not exciting at all but safe, predictable and just plain “working class hero”. The striking abilities are avarage and the hit ratio together with the Dynamics is just like cheese and ham. Nothing spectacular but it works. If this drummer was a to be a weekday he would end up like a tuesday…:-)

This is a timepiece with strong personality and great songs “out of the mainstream”. There are good reissues for less Money and why not? Give your self a challenge for christmas and spin this album a few times on your turntable. It is Amazing how much more you will discover and especially with a few beers under your waistcoat..:-)

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-6-GOOD!-WORTH BUYING-

BORN AGAIN-PAGAN-

This outfit from Marin County US, released this album in 1972. Previously they called themselves “Red Mountain” and got on the move down to L.A in the search of fame and fortune do to an encounter with an agent that promised them living quarter´s and a contract. As this , as Always, was put in perspective of a one room apartment for ten people, this was better than nothing. A deal was struck to Pat Boone´s production Company and they gave the band the slot at the graveyard shift in the studio. The story ends with a bunch of demo-songs which the band tried to get the major labels interested in…and no luck.

So what do we have here? This is a diverse record with no direction whats so ever. The songs bend in every direction of the compass but there is a light shining on through the night..Great Blues/Stoner/psych rock elements that got resemblence to Cream, Canned heat and some PG&E. The production is at the lower point but, there are some great guitar work together with cool harddriven vocals in some of the songs. There´s something in here that tickles that nerve of satisfaction….great effort.

Whatabout the drummer, Lloyd Wick?? As this fellow seems to be the one to be left in the shadows, there´s not much to reflect upon his drumming either. Avarage striking abilities with soft approach towards the songs brings the feeling, that there´s the guitarist who calls the shots. The hit ratio and Dynamics are fine but that´s it. The lack of drive brings down the impression and to bad, with a Another approach the whole album would have raised a couple of notches. This is an avarage performance. Period.

The most interesting thing about this album is that there are a few strikes of “killer instinct” with good solid jam-sessions that sparks the band to Life. For the one who never got over the late sixties and are in search of Another “almost there act” this is a find. Great reissues are out there for a hefty pricetag but then again you will be (almost) the only one to own it! For the rest of us it´s just an example of that obscure record that never got anywhere…:-)

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK-WORTH EXPLORING-