DUFFY-JUST IN CASE YOU´RE INTERESTED-

This five piece outfit originated from the United Kingdom and I have some difficulty to find relevant information about this obscure rarity which released their first album in 1972. This Hard/Blues/Prog rock album sure does the thing to your ears and the album is pending towards almost protoHardrock and dipping into mellow folkballads.

The production is timetypical with good interaction in the vocal department and some great dynamic passages that really set this oputfit apart from the mainstream rockalbum Community. Top songs would be “Rock Solid” and “Judgement day”. The resemblence to the timetypical bigger rock acts like Uriah Heep and Deep Purple are not intentional but almost  undeniable as an influence. The Dizzy story behind the band members just makes this an adorable album in the obscure and rare Community. Interested? Of Course I´m interested… 🙂

Whatabout the drummer, Willy “Wombat” Wright??? This fellow is a thight driven drummer with great striking abilities and good dynamics. The Hit ratio together with the technical skills could be better but there are worse drummers out there, Believe me.. 🙂 Perhaps there´s not much to bring back to the rehearsal room but as a background player this is a good effort. The none existing information and whereabouts of this drummer makes it a bit difficult to grade his performance over time but as I wrote, you could do worse…

So, if you´re in for some good old English Hard/Blues/Prog rock record this is a great contender from the timeperiod. Great original copies are out there for some big bucks but you can Always examine the reissues in first hand fore a decent dollar. This is such an adorable record that mix the best from the Contemporary Music scene and adding a fresh sight upon the future to come..Great job!! 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-GOOD!-WORTH EXPLORING-

MONSTER TRUCK-FURIOSITY-

Sometimes I must confess just puttin´on your blue jeans and get lowdown Dirty with Music, good food, Cold beer and good friends is just what life´s about. This outfit from Hamilton Ontario Canada delivers the same spot on dedication to Hard/blues/Boogie/psych rock riffs from this, their first album from 2013, as the latter. Is this perhaps “The” party album from 2013?? Very strong content suggest it to be just that!! This is a Floyd Mayweather knockout punsch in your face…A four Wheel boogie truck just running you down…Very, Very Good!!

The production is top notch with distinctive guitar, bass interaction with a great drum sound and an organ to die for. The Blueprint copy of the ´70s sound just fit right up my Alley and brings chills down my spine on high level volume. This is not really the best album to enjoy at home. This is a “Live” experience thing together with other “Don´t fuck with the Truck” Fans. The album just serves as a remedy for the nervous breakdown you will encounter if you not indulge a dose of this fantastic Hard/blues/Boogie/psych masterpiece on a weekly basis… 🙂 Intoxicating…..Nice….

Whatabout the drummer, Steve Kiely?? The first impression is the furious drive put into together with guitarriffs. This is a bombastic delivery with great persona and attitude. The striking abilities are great and hit ratio together with the Dynamics brings you Little to ask for. This is a great drummer with hard hitting style as his signum. The backside is the lack of personality in the songs that makes it difficult to recognize Mr Kiely amongs the other drummers. All in all this is an impressive performance!!  A Very Good job!! 🙂

Precious lovers of ´70s Hard/blues/boogie/psych rock will team up together and declare “Rock´n´roll is not dead” on this album. This is such a statement on the cause, that it is almost a request for you, to buy this album. This is gonna be a future Classic and something to show the “kids” of today how the Craft is done!! Great copies are out there so don´t hesitate. Buy your own copy of the decade of 2010´s best album!! Just enjoy…LOUD!!…..Bring me Another beer… 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-8-EXCELLENT-HEAD ON RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES COLLISION WITH A FREIGHT TRAIN!!-

SOHO ORANGE-SOHO ORANGE-

As this is to be considered a true barnfind, nothing could describe this outfit better! Originating from Glasgow Scotland this is one of the true mysteries out there with Little or no information about the members of this Hard/Psych/Blues rock act. As the story goes this is a find of demos in a stowaway shed in the 80´s and brought to Life through the “Witch and Warlock” label on CD. So in a way,  the scottish play on…. 🙂

The production is fair to the songs which opens with a soft sorling Psych intro and then just ignite in to a Hard/psych/Blues eargasm!! The songs are strong and diverse from prestoner blues to harddriven psych and all things in between. No songs stand out as a first choice but no one falls off the wagon either. This is a treasure find amongs the obscure albums I´ve encountered!! Nicely played Lads!! 🙂

Whatabout the drummer?? As this is a John Dough in the that sense that nobody seems to know who is playing, I´m gonna go with the gut feeling and simply praise this fellow´s drive. The striking ability is English by Learning and reminds of Ginger Baker´s style of playing. The hit ratio is avarage and the technical skill is some where around the normal to expect. If anyone got news on this fellow I´d be happy to know. 🙂

There are some weird albums from this timeperiod but the fact, that this one didn´t even hit the presses is to me, a seroius riddle. There is both drive, impact and determination amongs the songs and with right guidence this got the potential to have been something special!! This is a good album!!

As there is no original copies you just have to settle for the reissues. Prices are fair for this rare goldmine and I certainly never encountered such a good album by chance before. Remarkable is the Word!! 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-6-GOOD!-WORTH BUYING-

BROWNSTONE-BROWNSTONE-

Yet Another great record from America and this time we sink our teeth in a Playboy Recordings highlight. This album was released in 1973 and Little is known about this outfit from,as the story goes, the Houston area Texas.

This is a great production. A Hard/soul/Psych album with a splendid vocals by Barbara Lopéz, originating from Galvestone . It is an impressive set of pipes that will set the barr on this album straight away. Great guitar work and solid, steady rhythm section perfect this 1-0-1 formula. Trying to find out the story behind the band is as difficult as getting the Pope on the phone. This is a true Texas mystery and must be dug into further.

The formula of distorted guitars, Hammond organ and powerful vocals really makes this album a true candy treat for your ears as a 70`s obscure Classic album.

Whatabout the drummer, Samuel F. Johnson??? This as cautious fellow with a great backbeating style. The striking abilities are fine and the hit ratio and technical skills are at an avarage level for this album. Perhaps a Little to much laid back style to make that great impression but overall an approved achievement.

The true ballbreaker on this album is the vocal effort with great high pitch notes and a solid bottom. It is a true mystery why this outfit didn´t get any further or got the recognizion they deserved. This is a great album in that sense. Very Good job!! 🙂

Original copies are out there for a descent penny and as this is a rare album the pricetag is resonable. As this falls in the Hard/Soul/psych rock record genre it is a unusual album and it would easily fit any good fellow friday night party as a background cracker poprockin hellraiser! very odd, very good!!! 🙂 Bring the beer and turn up the volume..Please!

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-6-GOOD!-WORTH BUYING-

BOLDER DAMN-MOURNING-

Sometimes there are albums that nessecerily doesn´t Count as Classic albums and for some reason were doomed to fail back in the day certainly Counts as the latter today.

This outfit from Fort Lauderdale US release their sole album in 1971 and should be consider both a Hard/Prog/Psych/stoner act as much as pioneers to the much later acclaimed Heavy/Doom/stoner rock movement rising during this period. This private pressing got a hollowed  production all over it and the the mixing is not the best ever. But the songs are strong with great guitar drive and full throttle on the vocals. The style vary abit from a Rolling stones catchy intro song to the deathdealing closing act of “Dead Meat”. This band is not for the faint of heart. This is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of Protodoom from The US from this time period. As if the four horsemen have arrived…

Whatabout the drummer, Robert Eaton?? This fellow shares the vocal duty with his brother and is doing a fine job! The most impressive thing is the furious drive put into every song and the striking abilities wich are very good. The hit ratio and Dynamics are solid with perfect timing as a bonus. To bad the drums sound like they do but there is nothing wrong with Mr. Eaton´s input. This is an impressive display of powerhouse drumming!! Very good job!! 🙂

So, If you got a soft spot for Hard/prog/psych/stoner rock album this is one of the best from the timeperiod. Great songs with catchy refrains and great harmony structure brings this album up several notches. There are great copies out there and several good reissues for a decent buck. This is perhaps not the first choice for a friday night sweetheart dinner getogether. You must spins this baby a couple of times on the turntable to get the grip of it´s greatness. But that´s just one of life´s best pleasures… 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK!-WORTH EXPLORING-

TIN HOUSE-TIN HOUSE-

As one of the first band´s from the Florida area to signed to a major label, this album from 1970 is a Hard/Blues/prog rock adventure standing alone in comparison. The timetypical production by Rick Derringer suggest a “harder” approach towards the songs and by the opening track pretty much tells the story of the Record.

Tin House formed back in ´69 and brings on a familiar sound of Edgar Winter Group. Much thank´s to Mr Derringer but also by the great guitar playing by Floyd Radford whom later would join the latter. The songs are strong with great vocal input and some sugar sweet harmonies to perfect the result. Not to Close to the edge but then again not really dangerous either…a tin toy Entertainment for boys at max.. 🙂

Whatabout the drummer, Mike Logan? As a founding member this drummer possesses a great dynamic range with a bit of anxious attitude towards some of the material. The striking abilities are a bit cautious and the hit ratio together with the drive are at avarage level. The back beat drumming gets an extra thumb´s up and there are some stuff to bring back to rehearsal room. An entertaining fellow with some issue´s on the “drive” department but he gets me go toetapping a few times so the overall impression isn´t all that bad… 🙂

Great copies are out there for a descent penny and this is perhaps one of the few records from US that really “Sparks” from the time period and in the Genre. The Hard/blues/prog approach just fits the bill with this outfit. This is a great record in that sense. Put it on the turntable as cooking Music or just as a good vibration during household chores, it fits most occasions!! 🙂   Don´t forget to turn up the volume!!

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-6-GOOD!-WORTH BUYING-

THE BOYZZ-TO WILD TO TAME-

As the ´70s turning to an end this outfit from Chicago Illinois released their sole album in 1978. A high fuelled Boggie/Hard/Classic rock album with biker imagenary brought to it´s full potential. This is a underestimated album that really gives you an idea how this outfit must have rocked during a live show!! Just on the bordeline between seroius and cheesy…absolutely wonderful!! 🙂

The production is timetypical with nice passages with brasshorns and some hilarious background vocals, spicing up the standard rock boogie formula. Frontman “Dirty” Dan Buck gives his best in both performance and attitude so there´s nothing missing in that department. The musical input is questionable but the overall impression is good. Perhaps there´s no song that will carry this record into the history books but this is a whole package deal!! Welcome to the Biker Boogie Party!! Did I just hear a beer being opened?? 🙂

Whatabout the drummer, Kent Cooper?? Well the best comparison would be to a bowl of cerials. The standard drumming pattern is just what this outfit requires and nothing Mr Cooper does makes you wanna drop your jaw. This is standard drumming 1-0-1. No surprises and no personality. This is just the idea with the whole album. Standard rock operations!! This is not a bad thing if this is the intention with the whole Project. I like it!! 🙂

Great copies are out there for no Money at all and why not?? There are much worse albums out there with a serious attemp on their agenda. This is just a great party Boogie/Hard/Classic rock album that will give just what you want.  A beerfuelled no brainer Entertainment!! Bring on the dancing Girls!! 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK!-WORTH EXPLORING-

STARZ-STARZ-

With a great Music knowledge in their belt, Starz release their debut album in 1976. This Hard/Heavy/Classic rock outfit originated from New Jersey and where under the same umbrella as Angel and Kiss. This album offers some great strong songs that lured under the radar and they never really got the recognizion they deserved.

The production is top notch thanks to the contribution by Jack Douglas(Aerosmith) and all instruments all in great harmony with terrific vocals on top. This is a killer sounding album!! 🙂 Familiar tracks and chords are there but this does not turn the performance into a pastisch, but yet Another great album from the time period. There´s something British over the whole soundframe and Believe me, there are worse albums out there… 🙂

Whatabout the drummer, Joe Dube?? This powertrain brings all the action to the Twin guitars on this album. Great resemblence to Joey Kramer in Aerosmith and light years better than Peter Criss. This Fellow got great striking abilities and a good feeling with splendid Dynamics. The hit ratio and technical abilities are a bit behind but nothing to prevent this to be a super performance on this album. Both thumbs up for this fellow!! 🙂

And if you are in for American Hard/Heavy/Classic rock with great vocals this is just a top notch contender from ´76. Plenty of copies are out there who Went into the sale´s bin after a while so the chance for a great “pick up” is high!! Try to get a decent copy and play the Sh*t out of your system with great friends and some Cold beers as weekend Company! It´s gonna be Worth every penny!! 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-6-GOOD!-WORTH BUYING-

HUSTLER-PLAY LOUD-

This British outfit second release from 1975 perhaps brings all excisting elements together to pave the way for the NWOBHM to come. As this is a natural progress from their first album it also contains some less good passages but all in all this is a great record within the genre.

The production is flawless with a great dynamic soundframe and top notch interaction between the guitars/organs/ vocals and the steady rhythm section. The Hard/Boogie/Psych/Prog rock trademark of Hustler is just in it´s peak in this album with Little or nothing more to ask for. The experimental sounds and arrangements is on the razor´s edge and just barely falls through. As this record is driven to it´s edge in its genre it comes as no surprise that this outfit collapsed  working into their third album in 1978.

Whatabout the drummer, Tony Beard?? This fellow got great resemblence to Dave Holland( Trapeze, Judas Priest). A hard striking drummer with great striking abilities and a” Punchy” drive. The Dynamics are there but there are perhaps some lack in the technical department. This is not a bad sign because it fits this outfit like a glove. This is entertaining!! A Solid performance, great job!! 🙂

This album is somewhat a boiling pot with many styles, perfected into a Hard/Boogie/prog/psych rock album. As a stand alone record it won´t do but in a historical perspective this is the boost many needed for the forthcoming British Hard/heavy rock invasion of the World. A big thumbs up for that!!

Great copies are out there for taking and perhaps the value will rise some day due to the unrecognized part of making future bands great. This is not a bad album and to compare it to the dinosaur´s of 1975 is just unfair. This is not a major League album. This is an album to bring out at a Music quiz and shine with that extra knowledge you learn here at vinylanddrums….. 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK!-WORTH EXPLORING-

MAYPOLE-MAYPOLE-

As this outfit, from Baltimore US, had known each other for a while, the real up and comming would happen when they brought in Dennis Tobell. Heading out on the road they caught the interest from Jerry Ross at the Colossus Label. Released in 1971 this album neither got the edge or stamina to stick out from the great year of 1971. The style of Psych/hard/melodic rock maybe just was to soon for the audience???

The production is flawless with a great basstrack over the whole record. The guitars interacts perfectly with the rhythm section. The weak spot would be the vocals and lack of drive in the performance of the songs, which by the way, are awesome. There are great consistancy over the album but no songs sticks out the either way. This is a comfortably numb record and that is not, what it took to make back in ´71. The financial strain at Colossus didn´t do much to promote this album and it soon ended up in the “sales” department. The band dissolved in 1972.

Whatabout the drummer, Paul Welsh?? As an avarage dynamic persona, it is a bit up to the big League. Great hitratio does not compensate poor striking ability and the overall impression is a bit to anxious in the approach. The lack of drive in more hard songs is eminent and nothing to replicate. This is below par and could have been a lot better with Another drummer fitted into this style of songs. To bad…

If you´re in for Psych/hard/melodic rock albums this is a true goldfind. There is nothing missing in the musical department but it is nothing comparing with the big acts at the time. Just a forgotten gem with a great bass sound. Great reissues are out there for less Money and why not, in the right mindset this is a pretty awesome album… 🙂

VINYLRATING/GRADE

-5-OK!-WORTH EXPLORING-