Introduction And Background:
Brown Acid are releasing their thirteenth album in the “Acid Trip” series. To give some background to those unaware, the good folks at Permanent and Riding Easy Records have been hunting around finding lost gems from the late 60s and early 70s in particular. Acid rock (of course) along with bluesy rock and proto-metal along with psychedelic music artists that may only have recorded one or two tracks and then disappeared. Every album has some gems and this one is no different. The great thing is that you can tell this is a labour of love by the guys behind it who even go out of their way to find the writers/performers etc to make sure they get any royalties from sales (and seemingly some of these folks are damned hard to find). I will post a few words about each song from the notes that come with the promotional copy as well as my own thoughts. To make life easy I will do them in the order they come on the album and not in any preference. So strap in for information on 10 songs and artists that should be better known (or in some cases just “known”).
The Ten Songs Reviewed:
Track 1: Max: “Run Run“. The band from Montreal Canada used to be called Dawn but another act fronted by Tony Orlando (of “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” fame) caused them to change it. The 1970s single is according to guitarist Gerry Markman the only surviving track on vinyl by them. The track is quite funky with loads of drum fills going on. It features quite a fuzzy guitar solo and has a psychedelic feel running through it.
Track 2: Ralph Williams: “Dark Street“. Ralph Williams appeared also on album number 10 of the series with “Never Again” along with his band The Wright Brothers. “Dark Street” is described as “Blue Cheer mangling Roy Orbison‘s “Pretty Woman“” and I can see why. When they say “mangling” they mean it in a good way. The riff of that song is very similar to one running through this but it is played totally down and dirty and the vocals sound like they are being shouted from another room altogether (which some of Blue Cheer‘s do too). It grooves like a bastard and the riff will make you move even if it is just your feet. The way the riff stops and starts with drum fills between the gaps is highly infectious and engaging.
Track 3: Geyda: “Third Side“. This one is so obscure it came with no notes at all! All I can say from listening to it is that is quite jazzy with a heavy bass line. It could be a 3 piece as it has that kind of vibe. The guitar has that surfer guitar sound at points. Very late 60s heavy rock.
Track 4: Gary Del Vecchio: “Buzzin’“. It sounds like a party going on in the studio to which someone has brought their baby with them. Yes, bizarre indeed. The notes say there is a hint of Led Zeppelin‘s “Heartbreaker” and I can see why. It isn’t a copy of that but this definitely has a similar riff at one point. Very clean vocals, melodic, loads of groove and a drummer that stamps his mark all over the song! The lyrics kind of hint that they like drugs with lines including “flying free and high” and “I’ll be buzzin’ till the end of day“.
Track 5: John Kitko: “Indecision“. Apparently, the only recording this chap and his band made. Dated as a 1973 recording the singer sounds a little like very early Alice Cooper in style (think of him at his sneeriest) and inflection. The song starts on bass followed by a guitar that has a “Shaft” sound, all acid jazz/funky sounds before it changes into something fast and heavy. Lots of squeals and howls in here as well. Great fun track.
Track 6: Bacchus: “Hope“. The band came from Tampa Florida and they did eventually morph into a 1980s melodic metal band called Fortress having a bit of success. However, this being Brown Acid it is the rare early stuff that is of interest. “Hope” is bluesy hard rock with some honky-tonk piano thrown in for good measure. The singer has a very good clean clear voice. Possibly the most commercial track here but it still has a bit of fuzzy acidic rock in the guitar tones at points making it a relevant addition to the series.
Bloody Brilliant:
Track 7: Master Danse: “Feelin’ Dead“. This for me is the absolute gem of the bunch. This is a 1974 single which only got a promo release (did the folks actually listen to it? If not why the hell did they not do something with it?). The description mentions once again Led Zep but this time “Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You” but I think it is more than that. I can see why they suggest it but to me, there are more moments of Humble Pie especially on the “help me, help me” section where the singer goes all Steve Marriott. The song could be about the heroin epidemic that happened after the Vietnam war as he sings at one point “help me get this damn thing out of my arm” (maybe labels were scared of the subject matter?). There is some Hendrix in the groove and a riff that is a belter and flows throughout the song in-between the lyrics. This allows the vocals to be upfront for the most part. The rhythm section is tighter than a gnat’s ass and the drummer hits everything on his kit as often as he can. This is bloody brilliant. I would have bought the album if they had made one. Worth the entrance money for me!
Track 8: Orchid: “Go Big Red“. This 1973 single on American Records is perhaps the most garage rock of the 10 songs here. With its stop-start riffage and huge chorus it also features moments of surf rock (mix of say Dick Dale and The Beach Boys), it gets very fuzzy and out there as it goes on. You could easily imagine this in one of Quentin Tarantino‘s movie soundtracks, it has that vibe. A very late 60s sounding retro piece and the only release they ever had.
Track 9: Dry Ice: “Don’t Munkey With The Funky Skunky“. A 1974 track from an Ohio band which the title makes it look like it was done for the novelty market. It doesn’t sound like it though. Proto-metal, in fact, close to speed metal, featuring a drummer who plays like he is on steroids making the song go at 100 miles an hour. Yes, the lyrics are silly and the vocal delivery at points almost comical but due to the energy of the track that doesn’t matter. They have a spoken word line of “peeyew, you’ll be sorry if you do” which is 1950s in style! A really fun track to listen to (and probably a load of fun to record).
Track 10: Good Humore: “Detroit“. A 1976 rocker that was a one-off track on P.V Records. It seems the songwriter Mick Moats became a studio engineer which may explain the crystal clear recording. The chorus “Detroit: That’s where I wanna be Detroit, Oh Yeah” is catchy as fuck. The bass is lovely and jazzy and the song is pure garage rock.
Final Thoughts (Keep ’em Coming?)
So 10 songs of good quality (not a duffer to be found) with a couple of tracks which are particularly outstanding this is another fine collection of unknown artists and songs collated with obvious love and affection. Anyone who loves obscure stuff, late 60s early 70s garage rock and proto-metal will enjoy this as well as the other albums in this catalogue. Thanks to the guys who do this. Long may they continue to do what they do. Highly recommended!
Album available via RidingEasy Records on October 31.
Purchase via Label: HERE
RidingEasy Records Website
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