Rolling Late-60's/Early-70's Thud-Rock Thread

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Wait, I pointed out theat the Mt Rushmore album was *moronic* (which, I grant, could be seen as high, high praise); it's just the singer I love. But you're right that they look like a 10, and the album's a 6 at best.

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:17 (twenty years ago) link

Was that Grand Theft "Hiking Into Eternity" LP really recorded in '72-73, or just some big elaborate mid-'90s hoax?

i thought it was actually a parody from the early 70s (allegedly members of bluebird, supposedly a rural rock band). but if it isn't, i can say they did a really good job on the production. fooled me.

leaf hound! yeah! i was just listening to that in the car last night. they should've been huge.

el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:22 (twenty years ago) link

Is it fair to judge oaf- and thud-rockers based solely on the quality or frequency of impassioned declamations of the word "woman"?

I'm realizing that's an essential ingredient for me. If you can't holler/gargle "WOMAN" with as much feeling as Frijid Pink, you're just not in the major leagues, I'm thinking.

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:25 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, I couldn't get into the Head Over Heels record. After how long it took me to track down, it was a bit of a disappointment.

Myonga OTM re: Third World War - High Time is a very good comparison. I still really can't fathom anyone who doesn't love all three MC5 lps. But they are out there. High Time might even be better than the first one; better to dance to, anyway.

Does the Mt. Rushmore lp have them on the cover, like on DP's In Rock?!

Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:26 (twenty years ago) link


Is it fair to judge oaf- and thud-rockers based solely on the quality or frequency of impassioned declamations of the word "woman"?

Most def! And/or "child" and/or "baby".

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:28 (twenty years ago) link

"High on Mt Rushmore" has them SHIRTLESS AND SWEATY on the cover, if I'm remembering right. And (obv) fat and hairy. Fabulous.

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:28 (twenty years ago) link

Oh yeah, "child" and "baby" get Fanny into the inner circle, then, too -- which is required.

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:29 (twenty years ago) link

Oh wait, so Mt. Rushmore is the band that was on Dot? Whose album covers I saw pictured on the inner sleeve to my Hamilton Streetcar record? Yeah, I always wondered about them. Byron Coley, I think, was a fan.

Best "woman" exclamation is the Sir Lord Baltimore dude at the beginning of "Master Heartache".

Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:31 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, Mt Rushmore was on Dot, or at least the first one (the only one I know).

I'm gonna go home tonight and find the Group Therapy cut where he cuts loose with my favorite all time "WOMAN!" My first instinct is that it's on Hey Joe, but I think I'm confusing it with a hall of fame "LISTEN, PEOPLE!"

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:34 (twenty years ago) link

Fear Itself was on Dot. Let's get some more women involved here.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:37 (twenty years ago) link

I like that Hamilton Streetcar album. I'm probably one of, oh, 4 people that does.

You know what I don't love as much as some people? That first Zior album. I never heard the second one. Great cover and all...

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago) link

more women....the Luv'd Ones! Proto-thud: "Your Mind Is"

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:41 (twenty years ago) link

And weren't the Split Level on Dot, too? Greatest label except for Dunhill, maybe?

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:43 (twenty years ago) link

I love that Fear Itself album.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:43 (twenty years ago) link

If you go by dollar value, Mainstream is the label to beat. Them jazzbos went mad for the psych.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:44 (twenty years ago) link

The Hamilton Streetcar singles on Hazlewood's label, "Your Own Come Down" and "Confusion" were fucking amazing. The lp seemed a little tame in comparison, but that's probably unfair.

Ah yes, Dunhill. Home to DEMIAN. Can't believe I didn't like that record the first time I heard it. Thankfully, I came to my senses.

Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:45 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, re: Dunhill, I just figure that Steppenwolf + Fanny = history sewn up and delivered in one easy package.

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:47 (twenty years ago) link

I still have never heard the Demian album. I refuse to pay 80 bucks for it on ebay. which is what it goes for. I love Bubble Puppy of course. Who doesn't?

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:48 (twenty years ago) link

Hey wait a minute -- were Dunhill collecting bands named after HEsse books?

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago) link

And, free-associating, has anyone ever heard the Siddhartha record?

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:52 (twenty years ago) link

Whenever I play The Second Damnation by The Damnation Of Adam Blessing - On UA, MY favorite label - I can't believe there was ever a better album made in the world. I want to be buried with it. It's playing now. That's why I'm getting so teary-eyed.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:54 (twenty years ago) link

I haven't heard Siddhartha, no. Weren't they a German group? Germans always had a funny take on the heaviosity.

More free associating, has anybody heard this?? I've heard tell that the 18-minute Coloured Balls track on there - "God" - is like, THE great heavy distorto guitar overload track. But alas, it has yet to cross my path.

Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 18:58 (twenty years ago) link

Hey Scott, are you down with The Illusion?

Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:09 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, Siddhartha's German -- I don't think it's that heavy, either -- never heard it, though. Totally agreed on the German heavy vibe (cf my comments upthread).

Never heard the Summer Jam LP -- sounds wicked, though. I mean, side two: God. That's pretty cool. A nice DJ set might segue that and ISB: Creation (at 16:XX, a little more equivocal, maybe).

Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:10 (twenty years ago) link

Now you're just going to have to avail yourself of Ramatam. Reissued recently, so it's a cinch. Mike Pinera on guitar but the big selling point was April Lawton on lead guitar. Word was she was a he with sexual reassignment but it could've been a scabrous lie. You decide!

Combination Captain Beyond, prog, heavy blooz thud and some funk. And it's not nearly as grand as the theory although the album does come
down on the better than average side of things. Review of it by the Saint of Cough Syrup can be found on-line at Rolling Stone. The Saint gives Ramatam the thumbs up in an accidentally funny and wretched essay.

They made it to a second record which I never heard.


George Smith, Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:13 (twenty years ago) link

More free associating, has anybody heard this?? I've heard tell that the 18-minute Coloured Balls track on there - "God" - is like, THE great heavy distorto guitar overload track. But alas, it has yet to cross my path.

Yes, it's Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. I have most of it on "Lock Up Your Mothers" which was a box set of three or four albums worth of material. Most of it, entirely great and about a step or a year on from the "black" Grand Funk live album.

George Smith, Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:20 (twenty years ago) link

Nate - The Illusion were okay. They were on Steed weren't they? Or one of their albums was. Maybe not the first one. I like the one where they are dead and dressed up like Indians on the cover. At least I think that was the cover. Something like that anyway.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:30 (twenty years ago) link

If It's So. Yeah, I found that one for $2. Uneven, kinda weird, though the first track ("Man") is big dumb cowbell ackshun.

Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:33 (twenty years ago) link

Nate, since you like funky stuff I would think you would like Black Pearl if you have never heard them. And Privilege too. Privilege were on T-Neck, the Isley's label. Funky psychy stuff. well, a lot of fuzz and funky drums anyway.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:36 (twenty years ago) link

I can't really remember what the first Illusion album sounds like. maybe THAT one is better. I do like cowbells though. I have them both somewhere. they may have made more than two.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 19:37 (twenty years ago) link

Does anyone know anything about a band called Crushed Butler? I remember seeing a ten-inch with six songs on it released a number of years ago; there was a really good song called "Love Is All Around Me" on it, but I haven't seen it since.

Kris (aqueduct), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 20:11 (twenty years ago) link

Has anyone heard any albums by Trapeze? It was a power trio that included future Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and future Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland. I have the song "Medusa" on a Deep Purple box set and it is pretty good and the review of the album at Allmusic is favorable.

Thanks for the link about that 70s metal book, I will check that out.
Some aspiring label needs to get together and make a nuggets style compilation of this kind of stuff, I know I would be interested.


earlnash, Tuesday, 18 May 2004 22:15 (twenty years ago) link

Privilege were on T-Neck, the Isley's label. Funky psychy stuff. well, a lot of fuzz and funky drums anyway

GIMME

Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago) link

black cat bones!

lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 22:40 (twenty years ago) link

Lucifer's Friend, anyone?
I've got LPs by Black Pearl, Pink Fairies, SL Baltimore, Spooky Tooth and Nitzinger but hey, I've never heard of Hamilton Streetcar. Sounds enticing.

lovebug starski, Tuesday, 18 May 2004 22:49 (twenty years ago) link

The Hamilton Streetcar album isn't hard rock or anything though. More of a strange pop-psych concept thing with weird cover versions and lots of cool production tricks.

scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 10:56 (twenty years ago) link

Are the Illusion are the same ones responsible for the single "Did You See Her Eyes?" It's thuddy garage-psyche w/ an unexpected funky bridge that eerily echoes Sly Stone & JB (to my ears.) Can their album(s) be that incredible?

lovebug starski, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 11:49 (twenty years ago) link

The albums aren't all that incredible. They are okay though. And usually can be found very cheap. You know, for a couple bucks, they are worth a listen.

scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 12:36 (twenty years ago) link

Has anyone heard any albums by Trapeze? It was a power trio that included future Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and future Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland. I have the song "Medusa" on a Deep Purple box set and it is pretty good and the review of the album at Allmusic is favorable.

The "Medusa" album is good. So is "You're the Music, We're the Bandt." The first album was much mellower than the next two, not real predictive of the sound most fans came to like. Both of thw two records mentioned veer between loud crunching, very funky heavy rock and soulful torch music. There are a couple live CDs of the trio
that predictably dump the torch music for the Marshall stack.

After Hughes went on to Deep Purple the band kept putting out records, adding a second guitarist. "Hot Wire" was one of the better ones; it was full-on heavy funk and hard rock. Not much like it at the time on the hustings except maybe for Pat Travers. Extreme kind of took the idea, softened it up, paid more attention to wardrobe, got a sissier-sounding singer and made it more palatable to girls a decade or so later.

The album after it, "Trapeze," was not quite as good. Less funk for the sake of nondescript thud-rock. The album does feature a very good cover -- jaunty, actually -- of "Sunny Side of the Street," alone worth a bargain price if you can find a copy.

They became huge in San Antonio, like Budgie, and might have lived there for a time. Reissues were everywhere about five years ago, including a live one recorded in Texas called "Dead Armadillos."
This band, while still hard rock, was radically removed from the original which was produced by a member of the Moody Blues and subsequently taken out on tour with them in America.

Bottom line, best albums: "You're the Music," "Medusa" and "Hot Wire."

George Smith, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 15:49 (twenty years ago) link

Has anyone heard any albums by Trapeze? It was a power trio that included future Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and future Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland

HOW could you forget Mel Galley's stint in Whitesnake from this pedigree??

But yeah, George pretty much covers it like a blanket, as is his wont. I'll just say that I LOVE that self-titled album from '75. It's great! I got it totally by accident too; some dude included it as a throw-in when I was buying a copy of the first album from him. I had never heard the group before and was curious about the Moody Blues connection; I ended up liking the later hard stuff a helluva lot more.

(it's funny, same thing happened to me when I bought Fly to the Rainbow; dude throws-in a copy of Lovedrive, and I ended up liking THAT better too!)

Broheems (diamond), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 17:37 (twenty years ago) link

To keep the Deep Purple connection going, how good are Tommy Bolin's various records whether solo, The James Gang or Zephyr?

On another Deep Purple connection, how good is the second Captain Beyond record? I really like the first one, but I have heard the second one is pretty lame.

Another question, I recently aquired Atomic Rooster's "Death Walks Behind You" and think it is really good. Are any of their other albums as good? At least going by the Allmusic reviews, it seems the lineup and band sound changed album to album.

earlnash, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 17:47 (twenty years ago) link

I think Death Walks Behind You is easily the best of those I've heard. So it's a bit downhill from there. First one and In Hearing Of.. are ok too though. Earlnash do you have Spooky Tooth Two? If you like the sound of Death Walks Behind You, I'd get that Spooky Tooth record next actually.

The 2nd Captain Beyond record is still pretty good! Not as good as the first, but ok. It's the 3rd one that really sucks and must be avoided at all costs. I think it was like a different band by that point.

I'm curious about Bolin, too. Always meant to check out his stuff. I bet George knows.

Broheems (diamond), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 17:54 (twenty years ago) link

the james gang rides again is pretty sweet.

lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 17:55 (twenty years ago) link

Spooky Tooth "Two" is on my list of older records to eventually check out.

Joe Walsh era James Gang records are all pretty good. "Rides Again" is the best one. "Thirds" is much more mellow than the first two.

earlnash, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 18:04 (twenty years ago) link

Oh yeah, I love all Walsh-era records. Just never heard the Bolin stuff. Never heard the Purple record that he's on either.

Broheems (diamond), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 18:14 (twenty years ago) link

Tommy Bolin's catalog was always weak and it's been crapped up even more by people putting endless demo tapes and dodgy live recordings to CD as commemoratives.

I had the Zephyr records, ditched them. Not hard rock -- chopsy musicians, good singer, though.

Bolin was on Deep Purple's "Come Taste the Band" and so is Glenn Hughes, I thin'. "Come Taste the Band" was better than Blackmore's last album with "Burn"-era Deep Purple. "Gettin' Tighter" is the prime cut, a slashing funky rocker halfway between hard rock and metal. I drag it out every so often.

"Teaser" was the first Bolin solo album and the one to have, if you have to scratch the itch. It's the most cohesive, has the best songs and is the most electric. There are half a dozen good numbers on it
but it doesn't compare with any of the band's he was in.

The second one was a mess, the only number memorable [scratching head] was "Don't Let Your Mind Post Toastee" which was autobiographical, maybe accidentally.

He's on "Miami" by the James Gang, too. The albums past Walsh were really up and down, mostly down, although to be fair not everything the Gang did with Walsh was gold, either. James Gang album(s) with
Dom Troiano -- avoid. James Gang album(s) with Tommy Bolin, "Bang" and "Miami," probably. Given the two, flip a coin or buy both as vinyl for 99 cents and burn the cuts you like to one CD.

Last good James Gang album, this time without a name guitarist, "Reborn" with Picasso painting on cover. Very tight, short rock and roll songs. Crunching cover of "Heartbreak Hotel," "Red Satin Lover," a woman-hating rave about fucking a slut.

I like it more than a lot of people because I saw them touring to support it, opening for Alice Cooper's "Welcome to My Nightmare." Truth be told, live James Gang was better than the Alice Cooper show
which was strictly for very young children or people with the minds of very young children. I seem to recall about two minutes of it being good, when Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter had a guitar duel in
the space the bridges "Devil's Food" and whatever came after it.

George Smith, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 21:17 (twenty years ago) link

Am I really the only Glass Harp fan on ILM? No other Phil Keaggy fanatics? Well, If you see their first album or Synergy on Decca scoop them up. They go pretty cheap. Keaggy was a great guitarist. Power-trio/folky/heavy jams. beautiful stuff. People who like Argus by Wishbone Ash would really dig Glass Harp. Later, Phil went Jesus all the way, and put out some fairly avoidable Christian records.

scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 21:22 (twenty years ago) link

Bolin also slummed in Moxy, one of the first Canadian metal bands. Moxy were more to the mid-70's but like Budgie and Trapeze, wound up huge in San Antone. I have a live album from last year in which then band reunited as it could -- the singer, Buzz Shearman is long dead --and went to Texas to record it in front of an enthusiastic audience.

I think Bolin's on the first two Moxy albums, here and there, sometimes uncredited. Moxy were better than Bolin solo albums and superior to Walsh-less James Gang. At one point the band recruited pre-Loverboy Mike Reno. That was their last record, a very poor one,
the band aiming for a sound that Loverboy would later own.

George Smith, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 21:27 (twenty years ago) link

Seems to me these Sixties-Seventies amalgamated hard rock threads are now of enough mass to make an insta-book or two. "Everything you wanted to know, in Q&A form, about semi-successful and abject failure hard rock bands despised by girls, from the Golden Age of retro."

George Smith, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 21:32 (twenty years ago) link

MOSES. like cream of sabbath.

el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Thursday, 20 May 2004 00:24 (twenty years ago) link


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