ALAMO "s/t" - 1971

Don't judge the album by its cover : this is no Southern Rock, and Alamo is from San Antonio, CA.

This debut album never had any follower but listening to it, I can't understand why...!?
A couple of ballads (one per side) and 6 scorching Rock tracks.

It's obvious the Texas feeling and some blues roots are evident on some tracks, but not enough to compare the band with POINT BLANK or CACTUS, they had a real identity, a real energy and real songs.

"Question Raised" is the last track on side one and one of the three suggested tracks of this white label promotional copy.

ENJOY!

ALAMO "s/t" - 1971 -USA - Atlantic SD 8279

BULL ANGUS "s/t" - 1971

This is the first album of the Hard Rock outfit that goes by the name of BULL ANGUS. Heavy riffing guitars, sharp bass lines and great vocals all the way.

Not unlike GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, the band has the ability to write great melodies and mix them with long explosive instrumental parts and amazing guitar leads.

This is definitely some 'A' grade American Rock.

No filler, just killers!

"Miss Casey" is the longest cut on the album and opens side B. The catchy tune, the guitar work and the keyboard sound will please you, I'm sure.

I don't know much about the band and their second album, but I promise : as soon as I put my hands on their second LP, I'll post a good slice of it...!

ENJOY!

BULL ANGUS "s/t" - 1971 - USA - Mercury SRM 1 619

MAGIC "s/t" - 1971

Here we go with the MAGIC second self-titled album (their debut has been sold for $700+ on Ebay...). Though they come from Miami, MAGIC sounds, in a way, like a west coast psychedelic band.

MAGIC feeds on Soul music, Folk, Country, Blues and Psych. Evident writing skills and soulful guitar work give the album a special feeling.
An efficient rhythm section, some brass here and there and the powerful lead vocals make this second LP a very tasty album with some refreshing tunes.
"Keep on Moving on" is the opening cut and the soft rocking soulful guitars, mellow bass section and smooth drum line make it a good introduction. There's no brass on this one...

ENJOY!

MAGIC "s/t" - 1971 - USA - Rare Earth R527L

The GROUNDHOGS "Who Will Save The World?" - 1972

For whatever reason, the GROUNDHOGS rarely appear on music blogs. What a waste!
Any of the 6 albums the GROUNDHOGS released between 1969 and 1972 (the rest is far less interesting) are absolutely undeniable.
With this one though, the GROUNDHOGS and their mastermind, Tony TS McPhee, add some progressive stuff into the recipe and put their blues roots aside.
"The Grey Maze", the last track on "Who Will Save The World" is a freaky guitar extended riff, that could drive someone crazy.
The comics cover (by Neal Adams) is particularly colorful and bright and would improve any collection.

ENJOY!

The GROUNDHOGS "Who Will Save The World?" - 1972 - UK - United Artists UA 29237)

NITZINGER "s/t" - 1972

The latest addition to my ever growing LP collection is the NITZINGER first album, released on Capitol in 1972.
This album is an absolute must-have for fans of hard-hitting guitar-driven 70's Hard Rock!
John Nitzinger also worked with BLOODROCK and wrote some great songs for the Texas-based outfit.

On this first album, the mighty guitarist offers kick-ass Rock'n'roll tracks, packed with a heavy load of screaming guitar leads, and even more guitar licks here and there. This is 70's Hard Rock at its best, with a special Texas feeling all the way.

The song I picked, "Hero of the War" (this song closes the album) makes me think of "No One Knows" by the awesome QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.
It might not be the most hard rocking cut of this self-titled album, but it's a hell of a great track!

ENJOY!

NITZINGER "s/t" - 1972 - USA - Capitol SMAS-11091

Note: With this new song posted, we've just reach a 1-hour long playlist (available in the player). Hope you enjoy it!

NEU! "s/t" - 1972

The duo NEU! was formed in Düsseldorf, Germany, back in 1971. Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger freshly departed from KRAFTWERK gathered in the studio with CAN producer, and got those 6 tracks recorded in 4 days.

"Hallogallo" is the opening song, clocking in at 10+ minutes, this slice of Art/Prog Rock is a pure jewel. With this song, NEU! invented what we call "driving music". The guitar riffs and sliding notes crawl over the mechanical endless drumming to create an hypnotic almost robotic dance.

On other songs, the duo also gets into more experimental ways, adding electronics, jackhammer and other tone distortions into the mix.

Thanks to this unique blend of sounds, noises and aesthetics, this NEU! first self-titled album sets the band as a milestone in Krautrock but also on the then-new born electronica scene.

ENJOY!

NEU! "s/t" - 1972 - Germany - Brain 1004

FRANK ZAPPA & The MOTHERS OF INVENTION "Freak Out!" - 1966

As promised, here comes a new slice of The MOTHERS.
"Freak Out!" is the first album of this bunch of pioneers, and, at the same time, is the first double album in the music history. No less.
When it comes to the music, understand that "Freak Out!" is a two-sided project. On the A and B sides, you will find some Psych Pop tunes, very catchy and satirical. Frank shows the world his ability to come up with great melodies while focusing on experimentation and a different vision of how the music should sound like.
The C and D sides switch to non-conformist avant-garde compositions. I mean effects galore and deconstructed Rock & Pop structures.
The 8+-minute long "Help I'm A Rock" is the track I chose for the player. This suite in 3 movements is actually dedicated to Elvis Presley (as the liner notes have it).
If you look for buying an original copy of this one, check on the inside of the cover. First pressings have a box above the triangle-shaped photo in the lower right corner of the inside spread with an advertisement for the "Freak Map."

ENJOY!

The MOTHERS OF INVENTION "Freak Out!" - 1968 - USA - Verve V6-5005-2

INCREDIBLE HOG "Volume 1" - 1973

Folks!

Here comes another rarity : the sole album this british band ever released, and what a gem!
This LP almost never saw the light of day, the guys had to wait hours before they could be heard and, consequently, signed...

Hard-hitting Hard Rock, a pair of soft ballads (one on each side), scorching riffs, bits of blues here and there, a terrible uncompromising rhythm section, and, last but not least, a voice, and what a voice!
"Tadpole" is one of the numerous great cuts of this LP.

There are some different covers (the German and Spanish ones are completely different), but the genuine cover is the one you see above.

ENJOY!


INCREDIBLE HOG "Volume 1" - 1973 - UK - Dart ARTS 65372

FRANK ZAPPA & The MOTHERS OF INVENTION "We're Only In It For The Money" - 1968

It's been a while!
I was away for work, but found time to bring back some new additions to my record collection.
I bought this original ZAPPA & The MOTHERS' LP. "We're Only In It For The Money" is their 3rd album, released right after "Absolutely Free".
Expect some more ZAPPA pretty soon...

The song I picked up is "Flower Punk", the last "track" on side A. For those of you who don't know ZAPPA and are not familiar with his work, a great number of songs can't be called regular "tracks". Some are mostly spoken words and strange experimentation, bizarre noise and weird sound.
"We're Only In It..." is not the easiest record to get into ZAPPA's discography.
This record has been heavily censored, a lot of offensive bits have been cut out, and there's no uncensored original version.

Without being my favorite, I really like this album and the cover is absolutely awesome. The flashing yellow background color is stunning! And look at those faces!

ENJOY!