TRAFFIC SOUND – TIBET’S SUZTTES – 1970 (PERU) psych/progressive rock

A popular Peruvian rock group in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Traffic Sound had a very British-influenced early progressive rock sound along the lines of Traffic and (more distantly) Jethro Tull. These similarities were evident in the band's use of flute and saxes, all played by Jean Pierre Magnet, who could also play vibes and percussion. What is surprising is that Traffic Sound, unlike other South American groups of the period that only came to light in the Northern Hemisphere in the 1990s, do not sound exotic or primitive. They simply sound like an accomplished minor-league 1970 rock band with considerable progressive, psychedelic, and soul influences informing their original material. There's a Latin feel to some of the rhythmic percussive grooves, sure, but no more, really, than you would find in a cut like Traffic's "Feelin' Alright." They disbanded in 1972 after four albums; some of their material found US release in 1997.

- Manuel Sanguinetti / lead singer, percussion
- Willy Barclay / lead & acoustic guitar, vocals
- Freddy Rizo Patron / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Willy Thorne / bass, organ, piano, vocals
- Jean Pierre Magnet / Tenor saxophone, flute, percussion
- Luis Nevares / drums, vibraphone, percussion
1. Tibet's Suzettes (4:45)
2. Those Days Have Gone (3:26)
3. Yesterday's Game (5:49)
4. America (3:00)
5. What You Need And What You Want (4:14)
6. Chicama Way (7:46)
7. You Got to Pay (3.15)
8. Got to Be Sure (3:32)
9. Empty (1:23)

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REALE ACCADEMIA DI MUSICA – REALE ACCADEMIA DI MUSICA – 1972 (IT) progressive rock

Like many Italian bands in the magic 70s, Reale Accademia Di Musica is another excellent and forgotten group. Just one progressive album carried out (this one, two years later they put their last stuff with Italian singer Adriano Monteduro, sadly a poppy work). The first track is sweet and soft, but since second track music begins to change, and it's possible recognize several influences from another Italian bands like Banco (second track) or Le Orme (songs 3 and 5). Nevertheless, in this album we can find one of the most fascinating Italian pieces, the fourth track "Padre": the mellotronic section -if you listen the song in a hard day- can make you cry, literally. At the end, "Vertigine" shows the real RAM splendor again, in a changing-atmospheric-mellotronic track. Even though this one isn't the best came out from Italy, it's still an excellent album, and truly representative of the Peninsular 70's progressive sound.

- Federico Troiani / acoustic & electric piano, organ, mellotron, vocals
- Nicola Agrimi / acoustic & electric guitars
- Pierfranco Pavone / bass
- Roberto Senzasono / drums, percussion
- Henryk Topel Cabanes / lead vocals
Guests:
- Pericle Sponzilli / guitar
- Maurizio Vandelli / acoustic guitar on 2, mellotron on 5
- Natale Massara / orchestra direction on 1, 2
1. Favola (3:46)
2. Mattino (9:19)
3. Ognuno Sa (5:19)
4. Padre (8:41)
5. Lavoro In Citta' (5:56)
6. Vertigine (7:11)

Obscure Italian progressive rock band. Sounding to me like a mix of Pink Floyd and PFM. Relaxed and sophisticated music here. Good stuff!
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AVTOGRAF - AVTOGRAF I – 1981 (USSR) heavy progressive

The Soviet art-rock outfit Avtograf formed from the dissolution of the group Vysokosnoe leto, which had developed a cult following in the early 1970s. Guitarist Aleksandr Sitkovetskii and keyboardist Kris Kel'mi teamed with other musicians including vocalist Sergei Brutyan and began to tour. Shortly after, Kel'mi left to form Kris Kel'mi's Rock Studio, while drummer Vladimir Yakushenko left for other pursuits.

With the line-up of Sitkovetskii, Brutyan, Viktor Mikhailin on drums, Leonid Makarevich on keyboards and Leonid Gutkin on bass, Avtograf performed in the Spring Rhythms Tbilisi-80 festival in the capital of Georgia in 1980. The group won second place in the judging, and studio recordings of some of their songs were released on the album commemorating the event. In the wake of the festival and a short period of liberalism, Avtograf were able to legalize themselves with the Ministry of Culture. At this time, though, another change hit when Brutyan left to finish his university studies, and was replaced by Artur Berkut Mekheev.

The short period of liberalism ended, and Avtograf, though their music was considered somewhat square and behind-the-times by most fans, found themselves again without legal support. During this time they released two albums, which were to provide material for their first official release in 1986.

Avtograf reached international attention during Live Aid during a satellite performance from the Soviet Union, but the segment proved little more than a footnote in the event. Their official self-titled album, released by фирма Мелодия, contained only five songs, and sounded remarkably like late-'70s Styx.

The group spent most of the remainder of its career trying to find an audience outside of the Soviet Union. Songs from the debut were included on the Glasnost album, released in the U.S. by MCA in 1988 to little notice. Their next Melodiya album, Stone Land, was recorded in Los Angeles and featured a much more commercial, late '80s sound. Unfortunately, the new sound not only failed to break through in the West, but also alienated the remainder of their fan base in the U.S.S.R.

One more album, Tear Down the Border, was released as the Soviet Union desintegrated; at the time, so did the band, with Sitkovetskii moving to England, Gutkin and Berkut forming the group Rokoko.

Aleksandr Sitkovetskii (guitar, vocals)
Kris Kelmi (keyboards, vocals, 1979-80)
Leonid Makarevich (keyboards, 1979-87)
Leonid Gutkin (bass, bassoon)
Vladimir Yakushenko (drums, 1979-80)
Sergei Brutyan (vocals, 1979-82)
Viktor Mikhailin (drums, 1980-89, 2004-05)

1 Пристегните ремни безопасности
2 Ливень
3 2000 лет
4 Цепочка дней
5 Ирландия, Ольстер
6 Вчерашний день
7 День и ночь
8 Монолог
9 Марсианские хроники, ч. I
10 Возвращение, ч. II
11 Блюз "Каприз"
12 Старинная баллада
13 Корабль

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PACIFIC DRIFT – FEELIN’ FREE – 1970 (UK) progressive rock

Pacific Drift were Lawrence Arendes (drums), Graham Harrop (guitar and bass), Barry Reynolds (guitar and vocals), and Brian Shapman (keyboards and vocals). Arendes had been drummer with Manchester's freak-beat outfit Wimple Winch before joining Sponge, whose only recording was as singer Dave Berry's backing band on a 1969 single.
When Jack Lancaster left Sponge to form Blodwyn Pig, the remaining members renamed themselves Pacific Drift, releasing an album on Deram Nova that contained a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from pop to blues to progressive rock. ‘Tomorrow Morning Brings' is perhaps the album’s outstanding track, featuring evocative harpsichord playing by Shapman. Pacific Drift disbanded in 1971. Reynolds briefly went solo in the early 80s.

Lawrence Arendes - drums, percussion, vocals
Graham Harrop - guitar, bass
Barry Reynolds - guitar, vocals
Brian Shapman - keyboards, vocals
1 Yes You Do 2:54
2 Tomorrow Morning Brings 2:39
3 Feelin' Free 2:33
4 Garden of Love 1:44
5 Just Another Girl 3:08
6 We're on Our Way 3:29
7 Norman 3:12
8 Plaster Caster's U.S.A. 3:00
9 Grain of Sand 2:20
10 Greta the Legend 5:10
11 Don't Turn Away 3:20
12 Happy Days 7:33

Thanx to Chris

A mix of boogie rock and jazz rock.
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LEVIATHAN - LEVIATHAN – 1974 (US) heavy progressive

The opening track “Arabesque” is quite promising as prog tune as it is a mellotron-drenched song. Not only that, the mood is also changing as the music flows even though it does not sound like in a cohesive way. The vocal job by Wain Bradley and Peter Richardson represents what vintage rock music is all about. It reminds me to the classic rock music like Cactus, Humble Pie, Moxy, early Deep Purple, Tea, Mountain. The guitar riffs and singing style are true representation of classic rock music. “Angela” is a mellow song with heavy mellotron work at background and acoustic guitar serves as main rhythm section. “Endless Dream” is still mellow in style. The opening part with bass guitar reminds me to Styx “Castle Walls” but of course this song is longer in duration. The nuance created by this song is dark with mellotron as background and singing style. The music tends to be more complex in the middle with soaring sounds of organ / Hammond. “Seagull” is a song with good melody and nice piano work, combined with mellotron. The vocal work is really like Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes. “Angel of Death” is a straight classic rocker with good (and classic!) guitar riffs. “Always Need You” opening drum work and nuance reminds me to King Crimson’s “In The Court of The Crimson King”. The album concludes with “Quicksilver Clay” which the organ work reminds me to Uriah Heep’s Ken Hensley.

Wain Bradley (bass, guitar, vocals)
Peter Richardson (organ, vocals)
Don Swearingen (piano)
Grady Trimble (guitar)
John Sadler (mellotron)
Shof Beavers (drums)
1 Arabesque
2 Angela
3 Endless Dream
4 Seagull
5 Angel of Death
6 Always Need You
7 Quicksilver Clay

Pretty good progressive album from '74 sounding like a poppy Uriah Heep album containing the similar fantasy lyrics.
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CLARC HUTCHINSON - A MH2 – 1969 heavy psych

Psychedelic raga-rock guitar-dominated instrumentals can be a gas — just listen to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's "East-West" or the Mystic Tide's "Psychedelic Journey," or even some of Robbie Krieger's solos on long Doors tracks. It can also be a bore, as demonstrated by this 49-minute rarity, comprised of five long, doodling Indian-blues-fusion instrumentals, though some vocal chanting is heard. It might be a cliché when complaining about such albums to whine that it only sounds good if you're stoned, but that axiom does seem to apply to these pieces, any one of which grows tiresome, the effect multiplied when five of them are strung together. Sure, there's some skill applied by the players, who are reasonably nimble, using throbbing Indian-influenced tempos as the backdrop. They're songs and musicians in need of some kind of structure, however, and the incessant high-pierced pitches of the guitar become grating. The results are not so much far-out as they are the sort of thing you might hear blasting away for a minute or two at a time in the background of drug orgies in some low-rent psychsploitation flicks.

- Mick Hutchinson / guitars & others instruments
- Andy Clark / keyboards, percussions, saxophone, flute
1. Improvisation on a Modal Scale (10:00)
2. Acapulco Gold (7:00)
3. Impromptu in 'E' Minor (8:30)
4. Textures in 3/4 (11:00)
5. Improvisation on an Indian Scale (13:50)

Fantastic album of improvisations in different styles - Mick Hutchinson makes his guitar almost talk and the whole album is a delight
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CREATIVE ROCK - GORILLA – 1972 (GER) krautrock

Been listening to way to many progressive records lately, and I was rather glad to hear this wasn't of that nature. An interesting mixture of jazz rock horn band and heavy blues rock like Mountain.

Heiko Steinsiek (drums)
Klaus Weber (guitar, percussion)
Rainer Erbel [Steve Haggerty] (vocals)
Günter Schmeide (guitar, bass)
Michael Maas (bass, guitar)
Benny Stremmel (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute)
Hubertus Kreutner (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Apostolos Papanikolaou (lead guitar)
1 Natron 6:17
2 A Horseman's Morningsong 5:02
3 Tapeworm 5:31
4 Hear What I'm Talking 5:16
5 Blind People 9:09
6 This World Between 4:49
7 Wunderbar 6:40
8 Preussens Gorilla 2:13

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CAMEL - UNDERAGE – 1969 (UK) hard rock

Very rare UK prog/psych/rock album recorded by this English band in Rome (!) in 1969. Typical late '60's rock with heavy guitar, vocal harmonies and powerful instrumentation. The band are accomplished and the recordings are well produced with superb guitar work and novel interpretations of the various cover versions including "Pinball Wizard" "Tin Soldier" "Society's Child" "Where Is My Mind?" and others. Great! THIS IS NOT THE ANDY LATIMER BAND
1 Pinball Wizard
2 Where Is My Mind
3 Tin Soldier
4 Forget It, I Got It
5 Mystery Tour
6 Can't Be So Sad
7 Society's Child
8 Sitting on Top of the World
9 Evil Woman

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BLACK CAT BONES - BARBED WIRE SANDWICH – 1970 (UK) heavy psych blues

BLACK CAT BONES were a blues-prog rock group from London founded in the late '60s by Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke (drums) both who would leave after recording this album and form the band “Free”. BLACK CAT BONES also had the talents of Rod Price (lead guitar) who also would later go on to play in Foghat. “Barbed Wire Sandwich” was released originally on Decca’s progressive label NOVA and represents a wonderfully blues driven progressive rock album. Considering there are 3 guitarists on the album this recording is bubbling over with 6 stringed contributions. Vocals are strong with Rod Price’s convincing deep accents and warm guttural soul. The album is actually very reminiscent of CREAM's "Disraeli Gears" with driving guitar bass and drum interplay and that certain rawness. Overall album is superbly crafted with some great songs and instrumentation.

- Rod Price / lead guitar & vocal (on "Good Lookin' Woman")
- Phil Lenoir / drums
- Stu Brooks / bass guitar
- Brian Short / vocals
- Derek Brooks / rhythm guitar
1 Chauffeur 5:15
2 Death Valley Blues 3:52
3 Feelin' Good 4:58
4 Please Tell Me Baby 3:10
5 Coming Back 2:32
6 Save My Love 4:50
7 Four Women 5:09
8 Sylvester's Blues 3:45
9 Good Lookin' Woman 7:16

This band is the pre-Leaf Hound. A blues-rock band with progressive elements. In the first line-up was Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke before they made Free, but they don’t play on the album.
Great solos from Rod Price (later Savoy Brown), but the vocalist is fantastic too (Brian Short). The second title is a great slow blues, and there’s two ballads: "Feelin’ Good", "Four Women", but maybe the best song is the last Good Lookin’ Woman. Unfortunately they split after this album. The Brooks brothers found Leaf Hound with the vocalist of Brunning Sunflower Blues Band, Peter French (later Atomic Rooster).

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P2O5 – P205 – 1976 (GER) space rock

P2O5 was founded 1970 in Wendelstein near Nürnberg / Germany and one played progressive hardrock with a mystical touch, but also real fine rock&roll. The band-members were school friends, and the band name was created during the chemical lessons; but it isn´t a chemical formula of explosive as often was assumed! One started with small equipment and changing session-rooms ( private basements and the bicycle-cellar of the school ). Firsts gigs were performed in 1971, most at Wendelstein, but also at Nürnberg. Quickly the fame of the band did grow; so they played in 1971 for UNICEF. Bigger gigs did follow in Tischenreuth, Amberg, Schweinfurt, Aschaffenburg and again and again in Wendelstein, the founding place of P2O5. One of the bands highlights was the participation in a live-competition at the German radio-station SWR, where the band recieved a phantastic second place. Already at the very first gig, the rock ballad Hangman was played, one of the numberous own compositions of the band. The name recognitation of P2O5 grow more and more and so in 1978 the first and only vinyl was recorded and produced in a very small number of 300 copies. After this unfortunately the band began to disband, and as the personell cycle began to turn faster and faster, P2O5 in 1982 did resolve. From today´s point of focus P2O5 was far ahead of its time in the seventies. Sets full of fantasy with an oversized marble cross, buring torches, costumes and last not least the mystic sound founded the big number of fans and the cult status of the band.

Helmut Hiebel (bass)
Konny Hempel (guitar)
Wolfgang Burkhard (keyboards)
Edwin Lotter (drums, percussion)
Werner Weiss (vocals)
01. All right
02. A star behind the wall
03. Hangman
04. When a soldier dies
05. I didn't care
06. Hear by the dark blue lake
07. Major god
Bonustrack:
08. I gotta go over me

Essencial for fans of dark eerie basement Hardrock!
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ROGER GLOVER & GUESTS - THE BUTTERFLY BALL – 1974 (UK) progressive rock

Of all the multitudinous highways and byways down which the enterprising Deep Purple collector can travel, none, perhaps, is so surprising as The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, Purple bassist Roger Glover's first "solo" album, and — almost incidentally — one of the most delightful children's records ever made. Yes, a children's record. In 1973, Glover was approached about creating a musical adaptation of artist Alan Aldridge and poet William Plomer's book of the same name — a commission that surprised him, but which he nevertheless accepted. The book itself is delightful and, while Glover's work is unquestionably more heavily flavored by the near-psychedelia of the illustrations, the spirit of the text is retained as well, to create an album that stands among the few truly successful musical adaptations of an existing story yet committed to vinyl. Although Glover, as the album's premier composer, takes the bulk of the credit for this success, his co-conspirators, too, merit praise. Convening what resembles one of the greatest all-star lineups in heavy metal history — and then banning them from even glancing toward their usual territory — Glover is joined by Purple stalwarts David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, future Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio, session stars Eddie Hardin and Tony Ashton, soul singer Jimmy Helms, Roxy Music's Eddie Jobson and John Gustafson, and three quarters of funk-rock aspirants Fancy. Each was given his own role to play and the resultant album is a tremendous mishmash of musical styles, from folky balladeering to psychedelic whimsy, but leaning most heavily toward an early-'70s pop/rock vibe — for some reason, one could imagine the early Queen spending an awful lot of time listening to The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Given the heavily narrative nature of the project, it is best listened to in one session — a handful of tracks certainly exist more to carry the tale than make a musical impact. Highlights, however, leap out from across the platter, with the macabre "Old Blind Mole" and the positively buoyant "Love Is All" the twin extremes around which the action revolves. Gustafson's hard rock "Watch out for the Bat," meanwhile, must surely have induced nightmares within the album's younger fans, while Dio's closing "Homeward" all but predicts the course of arena rock during the '80s.
1 Dawn 1:21
2 Get Ready 2:06
3 Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee 1:25
4 Harlequin Hare 1:26
5 Old Blind Mole 1:11
6 Magician Moth 1:33
7 No Solution 3:28
8 Behind the Smile 1:46
9 Fly Away 2:22
10 Aranea 1:37
11 Sitting in a Dream 3:40
12 Waiting 3:11
13 Sir Maximus Mouse 2:35
14 Dreams of Sir Bedievere 4:09
15 Together Again 2:05
16 Watch Out for the Bat 1:41
17 Little Chalk Blue 3:44
18 The Feast 1:48
19 Love Is All 3:14
20 Homeward 4:12
21 Love Is All, Demo Version 3:04
22 Dawn 1:35
23 Magician Moth 1:37
24 Harlequin Hare 1:33
25 Magician Moth 1:34
26 No Solution 3:58
27 Waiting 3:10
28 Fly Away 2:24
29 Aranea 1:38

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THE SAVAGE ROSE - WILD CHILD – 1973 (DEN) progressive rock

One of the better SAVAGE ROSE albums with the title track being what should have been a classic and also MADHOUSE WEDDING standing out as another great timeless song. Annisette is without a doubt one of rock music's greatest singers.

Annisette - vocal
Anders Koppel - organ, accordeon, clarinet
Thomas Koppel - piano
Per Frost - guitar
Rudolph Hansen - bass
Ken Gudmann – drums
1 Wild Child 6:01
2 Stewball Was So Tired 3:18
3 A las cinco de la tarde 2:10
4 Madhouse Wedding 5:06
5 Ain't My Baby Beautiful 4:32
6 Tarantula 3:18
7 The Shoeshineboy Is Dead 5:19
8 Screams of Captured Birds 5:34

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THE SAVAGE ROSE - DODENS TRIUF – 1972 (DEN) progressive rock

One of the most well-known rock groups from Continental Europe, Denmark's Savage Rose recorded a wealth of intriguing and eclectic progressive rock in the late '60s and '70s. In their early work, one hears faint echoes of the Airplane, Doors, Pink Floyd, and other psychedelic heavyweights combined with classical jazz and Danish-Euro folk elements. Their arrangements rely heavily on an incandescent, watery organ that sounds like nothing so much as psychedelic aquarium music. The most striking aspect of the band's sound, however, was the vocals of lead singer Annisette. Her childish wispy and sensual phrasing can suddenly break into jarring, almost histrionic wailing, like a Janis Joplin with Yoko Ono-isms, and eerily foreshadows Kate Bush's style.

Stars in their native land, Savage Rose also achieved a bit of underground success abroad, and several of their albums were released in North America. Between 1968 and 1978, the group released nine albums, moving from vaguely psychedelic rock and the heavily gospel-influenced Refugee to the nearly classical ballet score Dodens Triumf and the folky, nearly all-Danish Solen Var Ogsa Din (their first eight albums were sung entirely in English).

Always a radical band — the Black Panthers even invited the group to play at a benefit for Bobby Seale after hearing one of Savage Rose's records — they took the extremely radical step of withdrawing from the studio entirely by the end of 1970s to focus on using their music to support leftist political causes. Although they continued to make music and perform, they were often heard at benefits and free concerts, actually playing in Lebanese hospitals, schools, and refugee camps at the P.L.O.'s invitation. They eased back into recording in the early '80s with Danish-language efforts on small labels, eventually getting back into the mainstream music business with established distribution. Their mid-'90s album, Black Angel, was their first English-language recording in many years, and a substantial Danish hit. By this time the only remaining members from the original band were Thomas Koppel and Annisette (now his wife); Koppel also records and composes symphonic music as a solo artist.

One of their better efforts. The R&B influence retreats in favor of a tender, melodic approach emphasizing the organ, piano, and accordions on a strong set that favors their European folk influences.

Annisette - vocal
Anders Koppel - organ, accordeon, clarinet
Thomas Koppel - piano
Per Frost - guitar
Rudolph Hansen - bass
Ken Gudmann – drums
1 Byen Vågner 6:32
2 De Unge Elskende 6:39
3 Borgerens Død 3:26
4 De To Gamle 4:22
5 Bruden Pyntes 3:59
6 Bryllup 3:30
7 Soldaternes Død 1:42
8 Den Døde By - Modebutikken Plyndres 7:43
9 Dear Little Mother 4:24

Nice and dramatic. A bit too soundtrackish for me, but nevertheless recommended.
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ELECTRIC WIZARD – WITCHCULT TODAY – 2007 (UK) occult psych hard rock

It's a given that Electric Wizard is not the same band who cut the magnificent Dopethrone. That said, it isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Frontman/guitarist Jus Oborn is the only member left from the original lineup. Guitarist Liz Buckingham doubles on the B-3; Rob Al-Issa on bass, and drummer Shaun Rutter round out the ensemble. Musically, Electric Wizard inhabit the same basic world of stoner/doom/sludge they always have. But somehow, there is something more welcoming about them. The music isn't "happy" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a bit more open. The opening title cut twirls on one basic riff, all bass throb and riff-ridden Black Sabbath slow crawl pummel. The guitar freak-out near the end is more in the early Monster Magnet mold, but these are both solid compliments. But it's "Dunwich," the second track, where they let it rip at full tilt. Oborn's vocals are farther up in the mix this time out, and as part of the overall chaotic rock out vibe, they work to bring the listener farther inside that wall of rock noise. This is one of those monstrous huge riff jams that gets under your skin and won't leave you alone. The two guitars are just in the red zone. Likewise "The Chosen Few," which begins with an increasing wall of feedback and a fuzzed out bass hum, and hammers out the death-plodding doom drone with fury. Oborn sounds great howling out of the mist on top of all that fuzz and volume. The 11-minute instrumental "Black Magic Rituals & Perversions" starts well, but it simply turns into some sort of metallic soundscape ambience that reeks of excess without purpose. It could have come from an experimental French black metal act. Thankfully, they recover on the 11-plus-minute closer "Saturnine." The big monotonous riffing is more hypnotic than anything else and Buckingham's guitar fills the doomy, distorted middle wonderfully with some killer fills at the end of versions and in her solo. For fans of Electric Wizard, this will be essential; it's great to hear them return in such good form; for the curious, start with Dopethrone — there's plenty of time to get to this one.

Jus Oborn (guitars, vocals)
Liz Buckingham (guitars)
Rob Al-Issa (bass)
Shaun Rutter (drums)
1 Witchcult Today 7:54
2 Dunwich 5:34
3 Satanic Rites of Drugula 6:05
4 Raptus 2:13
5 The Chosen Few 8:18
6 Torquemada 71 6:42
7 Black Magic Rituals & Perversions 11:00
a. Frisson des Vampires
b. Zora
8 Saturnine 11:03


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MONSTER MAGNET – 4 WAY DIABLO – 2007 (US) space rock

The longtime mustachioed leader of Monster Magnet, Dave Wyndorf, is pretty darn lucky to be alive, as he nearly succumbed to a drug overdose in early 2006. But he's made a full recovery, and has returned to the driver's seat for the group's seventh full-length overall, 2007's 4-Way Diablo. While known primarily as a molar-rattling biker metal band to many, ol' Wyndorf has never covered up his admiration of garage rock and psychedelia — but kicking off a Monster Magnet album with a track that oozes lava lamps and paisley (the title track) is a bit unsuspected. But have no fear, the trademark Monster Magnet roar soon reappears, as evidenced by such good old-fashioned ass kickers as "Wall of Fire" and "You're Alive." However, the group refuses to get one-dimensional, as evidenced by a trippy cover of the Rolling Stones obscurity "2000 Lightyears from Home," as well as tracks that would sound dandy to those who like to live in an "altered state" — especially "Freeze and Pixelate." Much to the delight of concerned longtime fans, 4-Way Diablo signals a strong return to form for a band that came very close to being cut short.

Dave Wyndorf (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Ed Mundell (guitar)
Jim Baglino (bass)
Bob Pantella (drums)
1 4 Way Diablo 3:20
2 Wall of Fire 3:45
3 You're Alive 4:04
4 Blow Your Mind 4:27
5 Cyclone 5:33
6 2000 Light Years from Home 4:52
7 No Vacation 5:01
8 I'm Calling You 4:22
9 Solid Gold 5:51
10 Freeze and Pixillate 4:26
11 A Thousand Stars 5:30
12 Slap in the Face 4:27
13 Little Bag of Gloom 2:18

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DOWN – III: OTHER THE UNDER – 2007 (US) southern rock/stoner rock

One has to wonder whether the most newsworthy angle about this third Down album is the fact that: a. it even exists, considering the rare gatherings of this sludge/doom supergroup (comprised of Pantera's Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, C.O.C.'s Pepper Keenan, Crowbar's Kirk Windstein and Eyehategod's Jimmy Bower); or, b. the fact that it represents vocalist Phil Anselmo's first major musical work since the murder of estranged Pantera band-mate ‘Dimebag' Darrell. Let's face it, probably the latter, since it's only to be expected that fans would dissect all of Anselmo's typically candid lyrics for Dimebag references — almost to distraction from the truly most important, noteworthy angle about Down III: Over the Under: its marked improvement over 2002's sprawling, unfocused Down II. Ironically (and to get this subject out of the way, once and for all), the two tracks most obviously inspired by Dimebag's tragic slaying, the earnestly regretful "I Scream" and the desperately poignant "Mourn" (which describes Anselmo's hotel room exile from his erstwhile colleague's funeral), actually lack distinct musical backdrops on par with much of the surrounding material. There, everyone happy? Now let's move on… Pound for pound, Down III can't be said to possess the same level of newly discovered songwriting chemistry heard on 1995's watershed NOLA debut because, despite their strong delivery, tracks like "The Path," "N.O.D." and "The Thrall of it All" regurgitate far too many Black Sabbath basics. But it does deliver a handful of career highs in the shape of bulldozing opener "Three Suns and One Star"; the band's arguably purest, bluesiest Southern Rock number yet in "Never Try" (Skynyrd meets Sabbath like never before); and a pair of heartfelt, evocative paeans to their Katrina-ravaged hometown in "Beneath the Tides" and "On March the Saints." And the quintet's talents for reshaping and refreshing their classic metal influences achieves a heady climax on the epic "Nothing in Return," which splits time between ethereal Mellotron ala Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" and gargantuan ringing power chords akin to Sabbath's "Sign of the Southern Cross," with a little chunky "Sweet Leaf" riffing in between. Finally, one would be remiss not to mention the impressive soft/hard tandem of "His Majesty the Desert" and "Pillamy," which pales only in comparison to the last mentioned epic; nor the impressive European bonus track "Invest in Fear." In sum, who knew, given their sophomore slump and Anselmo's distracting baggage, that another Down album would feel so surprisingly welcome? Yes, genre regulars may still brand their releases as ‘sludge/doom for dummies,' but that's a nearsighted mindset in light of the expanded fan base that each Down album introduces to these underappreciated musical forms.

Phil Anselmo (vocals)
Pepper Keenan (guitar)
Kirk Windstein (guitar)
Jimmy Bower (drums)
Rex Brown (bass)
1 3 Suns and 1 Star 5:42
2 The Path 4:12
3 N.O.D. 4:03
4 I Scream 3:51
5 On March the Saints 4:13
6 Never Try 4:58
7 Mourn 4:47
8 Beneath the Tides 5:34
9 His Majesty the Desert 2:28
10 Pillamyd 5:18
11 In the Thrall of It All 6:23
12 Nothing in Return (Walk Away) 8:55

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BOXER - BELOW THE BELT – 1975 (UK) hard rock

"Below The Belt" established that Boxer would be a straight-ahead rock band. Ollie and Mike were writing together again, but the new music did not hark back to the days of Patto (you may notice that "Shooting Star" has a chord progression that was also used in "Time To Die" on Patto's first album, though).

According to the host for the BBC session the band did prior to the album's release, it was originally going to be titled "Round 1" or "Round One".

Their first album was produced and engineered by Richard Digby-Smith, an engineer for Patto's "Hold Your Fire" and "Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em..." albums. Overall, the production gives the band a good, full sound, but as with many bands, it's been said that the album failed to capture their impressive live sound.

All of the band's members were great players, but showcasing of their soloing capabilities was kept to a minimum, which shows that Mike and Ollie were more focused on the songwriting than the extended guitar/keyboard solos that were typical of the early to mid-seventies. In fact, the "All The Time In The World" single does not feature any soloing at all.

For the guitar fans, there is still plenty of great guitar from Ollie. The slide work in "California Calling", the tasteful solo in "More Than Meets The Eye", the volume/echo bits in "Gonna Work Out Fine", and Ollie singing along with his guitar on "Save Me" are a few of the moments that come to mind

The album contains some great tunes. "California Calling", "More Than Meets The Eye", "Waiting For A Miracle", and "Save Me" are my personal favorites. "Waiting For A Miracle" is a great remake of Ollie's tune from the Tempest "Living In Fear" album (1974). "Town Drunk" is a slow, bluesy tune that features a great vocal from Mike -- it was written by Terry Stamp and Jim Avery for Terry's "Fatsticks" album (1975), on which both Ollie and Tony Newman played..

Mike Patto - vocals and keyboards
Ollie Halsall - guitar and keyboards
Keith Ellis - bass guitar
Tony Newman – drums
1 Shooting Star
2 All the Time in the World
3 California Calling
4 Hip Kiss
5 More Than Meets the Eye
6 Waiting for a Miracle
7 Loony Ali
8 Save Me
9 Gonna Work Out Fine
10 Town Drunk

Thanx to Chris

Brilliant performances from Mike Patto on vocals and Ollie Halsall on guitar, 70's British Rock at its best.
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BOXER - ABSOLUTELY– 1977 (UK) hard rock

"Bloodletting" was recorded in 1976, but for some reason was not released to the general public until 1979. Strange, because it is a great album, despite the fact that half of the album's songs are cover versions and Ollie has no writing credits. Every track is strong, and the band has a fuller sounding production than on the "Below The Belt" debut.

All of the original compositions are credited solely to Mike, and the "The Blizzard", "Rich Man's Daughter", and "Big City Fever" are perhaps some of the catchiest tunes he wrote on his own. He redid "Rich Man's Daughter" for the 1977 Boxer album, "Absolutely".

"Bloodletting" includes four great cover tunes. "Hey Bulldog" rocks hard and includes some great guitar. "Dinah-Low" is a fantastic version of the Terry Stamp/Jim Avery song from Terry's 1975 "Fatsticks" album, which both Ollie and Tony Newman played on. Perhaps the star track on the album, though, is the live version of Leonard Cohen's "Teachers". It is a smoking performance by the band, which features a bit of Ollie jamming alone towards the end.

Unlike the first album, other musicians guested on "Bloodletting". Chris Stainton was acknowledged in large print on the album cover for his keyboards. Boz Burrell (King Crimson, Alexis Korner, Bad Company et al.), Bobby Tench (Jeff Beck Group et al.), and Tim Hinkley (Bo Street Runners, Jody Grind, Alexis Korner et al.) all played in Chapman/Whitney's Streetwalkers and were involved in the Hinkley's Heroes jam band, which Mike Patto was also involved with. The three are only listed in small print on the record label, so their contributions to "Bloodletting" are unclear -- likely just backing vocals and minor instrumentation

Mike Patto - vocals and keyboards
Ollie Halsall - guitar and keyboards
Keith Ellis - bass guitar
Tony Newman – drums
1 A Fool in Love
2 Red Light Flyer
3 Big Lucy
4 No Reply
5 Can't Stand What You Do
6 As God's My Judge
7 Rich Man's Daughter
8 Everybody's a Star
9 Hand on Your Heart

Thanx to Chris

Mike Patto fronts an excellent band and they come up with some fine songs. The playing is hard and yet melodic with a degree of virtuosity sadly out of favour at the time of release.
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BOXER - BLOODLETTING – 1977 (UK) hard rock

"Absolutely" was Boxer's and Mike Patto's final album. Mike was the only member of the original lineup on the album. Chris Stainton, who contributed on the "Bloodletting" from 1976, played most of the keyboards. Tim Bogert's (Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice et al.) creative bass playing is prominent throughout the album. Adrian Fisher had the challenge of filling Ollie's shoes on guitar. Adrian and Eddie were probably session players primarily. Adrian played on a Sparks album that was produced by Muff Winwood, the producer of the Patto albums.

Of course, with the completely new band lineup, the "Absolutely" album is very different from the first two Boxer albums. It moves away from the rawer, straight-ahead rock approach with a slicker production and more finessed instrumentation. Mike's vocals are still in fine form -- he sounds great throughout the album. While Adrian and Eddie are solid musically throughout the album, Tim Bogert's bass and Chris Stainton's keyboards perhaps dominate the musical side of things. Tim Bogert's bass playing is particularly impressive, but it seems a bit too busy on some of the more simple tunes -- maybe too much of a good thing?

Mike collaborated with all the band members to write the album's material. "Big Lucy", "Red Light Flyer", the Randy Newman-esque "Everybody's A Star...", and "No Reply" (despite the terribly out-of-place musical extravaganza after the first verses) are among the better cuts on the album.. Mike delivers a great vocal on "As God's My Judge". "Rich Man's Daughter" is a remake of the version recorded by the original Boxer lineup for the 1976 "Bloodletting" album, which was not released until two years later in 1979.

Chris Stainton - Keyboards
Tim Bogert - Bass & harmony vocals
Adrian Fisher - Guitar
Mike Patto - Lead vocals and piano
Eddie Tuduri – drums
1 Hey Bulldog 3:49
2 The Blizzard 3:17
3 Rich Man's Daughter 4:21
4 Big City Fever 2:57
5 The Loner 4:50
6 Why Pick on Me 4:14
7 Love Has Got Me 3:03
8 Dinah-Low 3:05
9 Teachers 6:03

Thanx to Chris

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MC5 – KICK OUT THE JAMS – 1968 (US) garage/hard rock

Rather than try to capture their legendary on-stage energy in a studio, MC5 opted to record their first album during a live concert at their home base, Detroit's Grande Ballroom, and while some folks who were there have quibbled that Kick Out the Jams isn't the most accurate representation of the band's sound, it's certainly the best of the band's three original albums, and easily beats the many semiauthorized live recordings of MC5 that have emerged in recent years, if only for the clarity of Bruce Botnick's recording. From Brother J.C. Crawford's rabble-rousing introduction to the final wash on feedback on "Starship," Kick Out the Jams is one of the most powerfully energetic live albums ever made; Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith were a lethal combination on tightly interlocked guitars, bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson were as strong a rhythm section as Detroit ever produced, and Rob Tyner's vocals could actually match the soulful firepower of the musicians, no small accomplishment. Even on the relatively subdued numbers (such as the blues workout "Motor City Is Burning"), the band sound like they're locked in tight and cooking with gas, while the full-blown rockers (pretty much all of side one) are as gloriously thunderous as anything ever committed to tape; this is an album that refuses to be played quietly. For many years, Detroit was considered the High Energy Rock & Roll Capital of the World, and Kick Out the Jams provided all the evidence anyone might need for the city to hold onto the title.

Wayne Kramer (guitar)
Michael Davis (bass)
Rob Tyner (vocals)
Dennis Thompson (drums)
Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar)
1 Ramblin' Rose 2:39
2 Kick Out the Jams 2:37
3 Come Together 4:17
4 Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) 5:01
5 Berderline 2:45
6 Motor City Is Burning 4:30
7 I Want You Right Now 6:02
8 Starship 8:26

Kick out the Jams is a classic!
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WEST, BRUCE & LAING - WHY DONTCHA – 1972 (US) hard rock

Three years after Blind Faith, and two years after the zoo that was Ginger Baker's Air Force — Denny Laine essentially replacing Eric Clapton in Blind Faith with six more musicians added for good measure — Jack Bruce mixes the blues of Cream with the hard rock of Mountain while the label gave them maybe a third of the Blind Faith hype. The verdict? West, Bruce & Laing's Why Dontcha has aged gracefully as an authentic signature of what these artists were doing, but it lacks the staying power of Blind Faith, the fault being the choice of material. There is no "Theme from an Imaginary Western" here, there is no "Sea of Joy," just a relentless hard rock assault best exemplified by the track "Shake Ma Thing (Rollin Jack)." Here Leslie West and Jack Bruce share vocals, so you get Mountain-meets-Cream, but where they played "Sunshine of Your Love" in concert, there is no riff that awesome here. And that's all it would have taken, a great riff and tune to carry this project from point A to point B. "While You Sleep" shows this wild bunch as creative and having fun, and it's a great album track, but not the thing to find them a new audience. The title tune, "Why Dontcha," is pure Leslie West, but it doesn't reinvent Mississippi Queen, and these gentlemen had to pull a rabbit or two out of their hats. If anyone doubts Jimmy Miller's ability to make a record album rock, just listen to his protégé Andy Johns fail to follow in his mentor's footsteps. Miller had three days to put Blind Faith together after months of Steve Winwood and Clapton trying not to step on each other's toes, and he came back for part two, the Royal Albert Hall concert that became Ginger Baker's Air Force. Why Dontcha, on the other hand, despite the pluses, falls short because it tries too hard, while not putting the effort where it belonged — in the songwriting and production. Bet these great talents wish they had this moment in time back. If these were ex-Grand Funk Railroad members Flint, this would be a great record. It falls far short of what Jack Bruce, Corky Laing, and Leslie West were capable of.

In an interview with Corky Laing, that legendary quote from Flo & Eddie was brought to his attention — their opinion that Mountain keyboard player Steve Knight was "the most useless man in rock & roll." Laing quickly came to Knight's defense and said that he played rhythms that were essential to Mountain. A Steve Knight on keyboards, or even better, a Steve Winwood, was what was needed to bring West, Bruce & Laing to another level, maybe even to superstar status. Cream's vocalist brought that hit potential to the table. The sleeper track on the album is "Love Is Worth the Blues," with Leslie West on violin, guitar, and a suitably painful downtrodden vocal, while "Pollution Woman" is, finally, what everyone was waiting for: Cream-meet- Mountain, with Jack Bruce on synthesizer and vocals, Leslie West and Jack Bruce on acoustic guitars, and a brilliantly solid Corky Laing. This was the direction they should have taken, and there just isn't enough of it — a wildly charging modern sound that elevates the whole, proving it could be greater than the sum of its parts.

Leslie West (guitar, vocals, dobro)
Jack Bruce (bass, organ, synthesizer, guitar, piano, harmonica, harmonium, harp, vocals)
Corky Laing (drums, guitar, vocals)
1 Why Dontcha 3:01
2 Out Into the Fields 4:41
3 The Doctor 4:29
4 Turn Me Over 2:44
5 Third Degree 4:16
6 Shake Ma Thing (Rollin Jack) 4:15
7 While You Sleep 3:24
8 Pleasure 3:57
9 Love Is Worth the Blues 4:12
10 Pollution Woman 4:20

Heavy Mountain stuff! Hear Bluesy monsters "Turn me over", "The doctor" "Third degree
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WEST, BRUCE & LAING - WHATEVER TURNS YOU ON – 1973 (US) hard rock

Adding a bit of Procol Harum's sound to the mix is exactly what the doctor ordered for this superior second outing from the decision by Jack Bruce and Leslie West to merge their talents. "Shifting Sands" and the Peter Brown co-written "November Song" are amazing expressions for these artists, who break out of what people expected from them to create something important. Bruce does his best Neil Young in this "Helpless" takeoff, and West's guitar adds the bite that was not part of Buffalo Springfield, but the album jacket is just plain terrible, like the Guess Who's Road Food taken to an extreme. Had this album found its way into the sublime cover to their first effort, Why Dontcha, they might've been taken more seriously by the critical elite of the day. The underground comic art by Joe Petagno is not the beautiful stuff he has produced since, and is not the eye-catching Robert Crumb work that made Big Brother's Cheap Thrills so inviting. Perhaps you can't tell a book by its cover, but that's what marketing departments are for, and the debacle that is the packaging on Whatever Turns You On disguises the on-target music finally starting to jell. "Rock & Roll Machine" is West finding a groove and, yes, Mountain keyboard player Steve Knight could have improved this very good song and brought it to another level. Andy Johns' production is a bit smoother, but he still lacks the finesse of a Denny Cordell or a George Martin. There's none of the sparkle that the Beatles' "Revolution" contained, an element that made hard rock radio-friendly. Jack Bruce, on the other hand, is delivering solid album tracks — the Brown/Bruce/West/Laing composition "Scotch Crotch" could've fit nicely on Disraeli Gears or Wheels of Fire, but not as one of those discs' 45 RPMs. And that's the same problem faced by the Why Dontcha album — great musicians jamming out, but failing to find their way around the maze, failing to write a "Can't Find My Way Home" or a "Tales of Brave Ulysses." "Slow Blues" is a fluid West/Bruce vocal combo with piano and slide guitar — superb fun for these guys, but not expanding beyond what they've given in the past. And while this album may be superior to the first, there's also a complacency, and maybe a feeling by the band that the world owed these journeymen something. For fans, it is a nice addition to the collection and great to listen to for a change of pace. For their careers, it sounds like men with a lot to give treading water. The nature of the record industry — executives wanting three million units out of the box and artists wanting to record on their own terms — wasn't the environment to allow a West, Bruce & Laing five or six more discs to catch a wave. It's too bad, because there was something there.

Leslie West (guitar, vocals, dobro)
Jack Bruce (bass, organ, synthesizer, guitar, piano, harmonica, harmonium, harp, vocals)
Corky Laing (drums, guitar, vocals)
1 Backfire
2 Token
3 Sifting Sand
4 November Song
5 Rock 'n' Roll Machine
6 Scotch Crotch
7 Slow Blues
8 Dirty Shoes
9 Like a Plate

Good music . Very seventies . long hair ; blue jeans and beers.
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LESLIE WEST - THE LESLIE WEST BAND/THE GREAT FATSBY – 1974/1975 (US) hard rock

THE GREAT FATSBY
Released on Foreigner manager Bud Prager's RCA imprint — Phantom records, it is one of two albums released by Leslie West on that label in 1975, the other being titled simply The Leslie West Band. The Great Fatsby's album cover has the rock & roll guitarist in front of a mansion surrounded by babes à la the F. Scott Fitzgerald character. It opens with a nice and bluesy Paul Kelly tune, "Don't Burn Me," and for the post-Mountain work here, that direction works best. "The House of the Rising Sun" features a duet with Dana Valery and is an interesting read on the traditional tune made famous by the Animals. Mick Jagger plays some guitar on a tune credited to himself, Keith Richards, West, Corky Laing, and Sandra Palmer. "High Roller" is a second cousin to "Brown Sugar," and for Rolling Stones fans, it's a must have, a rare '70s co-write and collaboration with another artist. For Leslie West fans, the album is a departure from the Mountain onslaught and a treat. "I'm Gonna Love You Thru the Night" has an elegant guitar riff and brings West back to the blues. Though it's an original from Corky Laing and his guitarist, the influence of the band Free is obvious. West does an admirable job on Andy Fraser's "Doctor Love" on side two, as well as the Free song "Little Bit of Love." Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter" is a total diversion for the hard rock guitar slinger, and it comes off very nicely. At five minutes and 20 seconds, "Carpenter" is the album's longest track. The instrumental "E.S.P." might be the strongest statement here (isn't that the name of label owner Bud Prager's management firm, E.S.P.?). With 12-string guitars and superb musicianship, it's the best of West on display. Gary Wright makes an appearance on this album on piano, and The Great Fatsby emerges as a unique look at an important rock & roll artist with some surprises tucked inside.
THE LESLIE WEST BAND
Where Leslie West's The Great Fatsby touched upon different themes and showed the guitar hero able to handle Free-style blues-pop, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones comes to the party to bring a different focus. Outside of a couple of covers and Mick Jones' composition "Singapore Sling," all the material is by West, Jones, and Laing — a progression from West, Bruce & Laing, which was a progression from Cream producer Felix Pappalardi's work with the guitarist/drummer combo in the original Mountain. Not as heavy as those other two groups, The Leslie West Band on record has more bite than The Great Fatsby, and as with the previous project, some big name players. John Lennon/Buzzy Linhart/Jim Croce keyboardist Ken Ascher is onboard, as is bassist Don Kretmer from the Blues Project. Lesley is in good company, and makes the most of it. Where he performed Rolling Stones material on Fatsby, here we have a dark and lovely rendition of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" — Ascher getting a chance to work on Lennon material again as he did on Mind Games. And as Fatsby had "The House of the Rising Sun," Mann and Weil's "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" gets revised by the Leslie West Band. It's a methodical version, Led Zeppelin lite, and is a decent album track, though the music without vocals seems to be the key to this album's real magic. "Singapore Sling" has beautiful Leslie West guitarwork on the Mick Jones set of riffs, while "Sea of Heartache" is a real gem that just stuns. It's a three-minute-33-second sort of ode to Black Sabbath where the musicians bring it up another notch. "By the River" and "Get It Up" aren't bad; it's just that they don't offer much new to the Lesley West repertoire. "By the River" ends much too fast as well, like someone just decided to turn down the sound as the side concludes prematurely. The Leslie West Band has our hero slugging it out in the trenches, and he gets a "B" for effort, which isn't a bad thing. One just would've hoped he kept from sliding back to the tried and true. It's the experimenting here that really shows what could have been, and this was the perfect time for the artist to reinvent himself.
1 Don't Burn Me
2 House of the Rising Sun
3 High Roller
4 I'm Gonna Love You Thru the Night
5 ESP
6 Honky Tonk Women
7 If I Still Had You
8 Doctor Love
9 If I Were a Carpenter
10 Little Bit of Love
11 Money (Watcha Gonna Do)
12 Dear Prudence
13 Get It Up (No Bass--Whatsoever)
14 Singapore Sling
15 By the River
16 Twister
17 Setting Sun
18 Sea of Heartache
19 We'll Find a Way
20 We Gotta Get out of This

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SKID ROW - 34 HOURS – 1971 (UK) hard rock

Both Skid Row's LPs feature the young guitar talent of Gary Moore. Formed in 1967, the quartet with Moore, Brush Shiels (b), Nollaug Bridgeman (dr) and Bernhard Cheevers (g) came from Dublin. Described as the only serious competitor to Rory Gallagher's Taste the band used strong blues-rock riffs on a solid rock ground.

At the end of the sixties Skid Row went to London to become an important part of the British blues boom. At that time the original lead singer Phil Lynott had left the group, and Brush Shiels took his place. The first single was released on the Song label and was called "New Places, Old Faces". It was a fine work of Moore's 12-string guitar art. The next single "Saturday Morning Man" made the charts on a minor level and helped the band get in contact with a major company like CBS.

They started with the single "Dandy's Gone Part I". It was a bluesy neo-psychedelic piece of hard modern rock music, and it shows the enormous talent of Gary Moore once again. At this point Skid Row went into the studio and took eleven hours to produce the debut album, "Skid" with a strange, but fascinating mixture of raw blues and progressive jazz rock with tribal undertones.

Skid Row was a band that never really made it to the top, but always had a strong loyal following. The band toured two times in the USA and Europe. In between these tours they released their second and last album, "34 Hours". Indeed, they only needed 34 hours to create this little masterpiece. Brush Shiels used his bass as a melody instrument, inspired by the jazz sounds of Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson. On the other hand, Gary Moore was definitely bringing forth the hard rock influences by using such modern technological achievements as wah-wah tricks and reaction coupling.

The music of "34 Hours" was completely different, compared with the debut. There were lots of changes in pace and musical style. One of the most important songs on the album was the straight boogie "Go, I'm Never Gonna Let You Go, Part I" and another one, the mid-tempo slice of country/blues, "Lonesome Still". At this point, Skid Row seemed to be on their way to the top, but during their preparations for the third US tour, Gary Moore decided quit the band and go solo.

The rest of the band tried to reform Skid Row a few months later with Paul Chapman on guitar, but the chemistry and magic of the old formation was gone. Returning to Dublin, Bridgemore and Shiels played together for a few years under the old moniker. Chapman later turned up in UFO and Lone Star.

Gary Moore released his solo album "Grinding Stone" in 1973 and joined the second generation of Colosseum. He worked together with Thin Lizzy a few times and recorded more solo LP's, "Back On The Streets" and "G-Force" at the end of the seventies. At the beginning of the following decade he worked with Cozy Powell, Greg Lake, Mother's Finest and, once again, Thin Lizzy. In the years 1982/83 four more albums of his were released and at the end of the eighties, Gary become a mega star as one of the most popular guitar-axeman of the world. After years of muddling, Moore has, at long last, found a style of his own, which isn't a vice on his exceptional ability. His most popular albums so far are "Victims Of The Future", "Run For Cover", "Wild Frontier", "After The War", "Still Got the Blues" and "After Hours".

Gary Moore - Guitar, Vocals
Brush Shiels - Bass, Vocals
Noel Bridgeman - Drums, Vocals
1 Night of the Warm Witch 9:06
2 First Thing in the Morning 1:57
3 Mar 6:35
4 Go, I'm Never Gonna Let You, Pts. 1 & 2 8:51
5 Lonesome Still 3:51
6 The Love Story, Pts. 1-4 5:09
7 Night of the Warm Witch [*] 4:38
8 Mr. De-Luxe [*] 4:13

34 Hours is a 1971 album by Irish blues-rock band Skid Row. It was the band's second album, and takes its title from the fact that it was recorded in 34 hours.
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