Proto-Metal Report: Scorpions - Fly To The Rainbow

 
 

I've been totally negligent in listening to new music lately. In about 2 weeks my schedule is going to allow me to listen to more of the great stuff that I've been sent to check out for Ripple reviews but in the meantime, here's a proto-metal report about the album I've been playing a lot lately. Everyone knows I'm a huge fan of the Uli Roth era Scorpions and recently a friend gifted me with a vinyl copy of this album in all it's RCA budget label glory. It's such a great album and this copy is extremely clean. My remastered CD sounds great, the mp3's on my iPod are perfect for blasting in the car but LP is where it's at for this underrated 1974 psychedelic hard rock gem.

Scorpions released their tripped out, almost Krautrock debut Lonesome Crow in 1972 but when guitarist Michael Schenker left to join UFO, the band broke up. Founding Scorp guitarist Rudy Schenker and vocalist Klaus Meine teamed up with the incredible Uli Roth and the rhythm section of his band Dawn Road to form a new superpower. They eventually rebranded themselves as Scorpions and and recorded Fly To The Rainbow.

Side one's opener "Speedy's Coming" starts off with some vintage Stratocaster whammy torture from Uli before the rest of the band blasts in. It must have been a shock for anyone expecting the dreamy grooves of the previous album. Klaus' vocals are much more aggressive and his lyrics on this song have always been a great source of entertainment for me. "You like David Bowie & friends at the Royal Albert Hall" is a classic inside joke/put down amongst a small circle of my friends. The song is no joke, however, just kick ass 70's hard rock with incredible guitar playing. This is a great example of a guitar team that works well together. Rudy's tight rhythm guitar blends so well with Uli's virtuoso leads. "They Need A Million" starts off with Uli on acoustic guitar and ballad-ish vocals from Klaus. After about a minute Rudy fires up a strong riff and Uli's lead gets doubled by some proggy synths. The real surprise is that Rudy takes his a turn as lead vocalist with Klaus backing him up. "Drifting Sun" is Uli's chance to show off all of his best Hendrixisms. Killer wah-wah licks and his laid back Jimi-delic vocals. Klaus joins in on the chorus and Rudy sings the psychedelic bridge through some kind of rotating speaker effect. All of this is just a build up for an outstanding groove that Uli's guitar soars over. It's about 8 minutes long but could easily have been longer. Play this for your snobby Krautrock friends and don't tell them who it is until after the song's over. They'll freak! Side one wraps up with the slow, bluesy "Fly People Fly" that was co-written by Klaus and Michael Schenker.

Flip it over and "This Is My Song" fades in from mid-jam into a solid mid-tempo heavy rocker. "Far Away" is the type of ballad that would become a Scorpions trademark. Written by the usual Kluas/Rudy team it also features contributions from Michael. The title track ends the album with a 9 minute epic. It's also the only song co-written by Michael Schenker and Uli Roth. Michael probably wrote it before he quit for UFO and Scorpions wisely decided to hang on to it. Part of the acoustic intro also show's up on UFO's "Crystal Light" on their album Phenomenon (also released in 1974). Uli must have finished the music and clearly wrote the words, even though Klaus sings it. There's some great twin guitar parts that pre-date Thin Lizzy's harmonies and it's obvious that young Steve Harris was taking notes for future use in Iron Maiden. Uli's guitar playing is once again incredible and the live version on Tokyo Tapes is even better.

Fly To The Rainbow often gets overlooked compared to the more hard rocking In Trance, Virgin Killer or Taken By Force. As a metal youth it was the one I listened to the least but has grown to be a real favorite of mine over the years. It sounds great alongside Sad Wings of Destiny by Judas Priest, Rainbow Rising, UFO's Phenomenon and Thin Lizzy's Nightlife. You have all of those, right?

--Woody

Pussy - Invasion

Only a real friend will send you Pussy in the mail. Thankfully I have such a friend in Racer. He could have been greedy and kept the Pussy all for himself, but no, he let me have it. A month or so ago, Racer said he was going to concentrate his Ripple ramblings on his beloved but neglected Proto-Metal report. His reviews of bands like Toad, Jerusalem, Iron Claw, etc was a big factor for me getting involved with these clowns a few years ago. Jerusalem's album is a real favorite of mine and I was thrilled to find out that they gave birth to Pussy.

Jerusalem's self titled album was released in 1972 and produced by Ian Gillan. That's all it took for me to pick up a copy of Rockadrome's reissue of it. Thankfully the music was just as primitively heavy as I had hoped but I must have forgotten that the band later morphed into Pussy. So when this showed up I rushed straight to the stereo to get a taste of this Pussy. It did not disappoint. This is some fine, fine Pussy indeed! While not as heavy, Pussy's Invasion is a definite growth from Jerusalem and reminds me a lot of the band Hard Stuff, another band associated with Deep Purple. Bassist/vocalist Paul Dean was the main songwriter for both bands and there's a definite refinement in the material and the playing. He's joined by Jerusalem drummer Ray Sparrow. Guitar duties were originally handled by Bob Cooke who was later replaced by Brian Goff. Tracks 1- 10 were recorded for an album that was never released with Brian and the bonus tracks from their original single and outtakes are played by Bob. Both guitarists are nothing fancy, but solid British blues-rock players. Everything was produced by Ian Gillan, who also throws in some backing vocals and percussion.

70's rock freaks will definitely want to get ahold of this. There's tons of flange on all the instruments, bluesy guitar solos and plenty of mid-tempo heavy rocking beats. Plus, you gotta love a band called Pussy that wrote a risqué song like "Feline Woman." As George Clinton once said, "more power to the Pussy!"

--Woody

http://www.rockadrome.com/superstore/product_info.php?products_id=5792

Rock's Come Back of the Year - Interview With Jimmy Ronnie From Iron Claw

 Here's an interview conducted by fearless Ripple Scribe, Boogeyman, that originally ran on his own blog, Long Live Rock N Roll.  Pop over there for more insights from the Boogs.



Being called Rock's "Come Back Bands of the Year" by Metal Odyssey, and having a string of great reviews from the likes of The Metal Minute, Rocktopia, and The Soda Shop just to name a few, I've been given the great pleasure to interview Iron Claw's guitarist and one of the band's original founding members, Jim Ronnie. As you'll find out, it's one hell of come back for these Proto Metal Pioneers indeed.

Boogs: As a musician myself that use to play in a band and have been out of the music scene for quite some time, what was the spark that ignited your desire to get the band back together after such a long time and start rockin' again?

Jimmy Ronnie:  The last thing on my mind late 2009 was an Iron Claw reunion. I became aware of  Rockadrome's release of the band's self titled CD and must admit to giving that little attention either. However, it became clear that there was indeed a lot of interest out there for our 1970's recorded back catalog. That was the spark that ignited the possibility of a reunion in my mind. I arranged a meeting of the surviving former band members and that was it! Iron Claw was reborn!

There wasn't much of a plan at that stage other than "let's record some new material and see how it goes". All that changed when Ripple Music got involved and suddenly we were now faced with the task of producing an album for world wide release on this new dynamic label.......wow!

Boogs: That's amazing! How are some things better now with Iron Claw than they were back in the day when you guys first started out?

Jimmy Ronnie:  The internet is probably the biggest single change that has happened to music since 1979. Musicians now have a vehicle for getting their recorded music out to the world.

That didn’t exist during our first time around and record companies were practically the only way to get recordings heard. There were no CDs of course and pressing your own vinyl records was not a practical option. Even if that could be overcome, how do you distribute them?

On the negative side though, there are now a lot fewer live venues much less opportunity for bands to play. That’s a great shame. We need more live venues. That is how new young bands learn their craft and if they don’t get a chance to play live the standard of music will drop. Never mind TV talent shows. That’s not what it’s all about.

Boogs:  Once again congrats on A Different Game being praised as the "Come Back Album of the Year" in the world of rock and classic rock. How does that feel? It's gotta be an extremely gratifying feeling. Especially being labeled "Proto-metal Pioneers." That's gotta be honor being a part of that.

Jimmy Ronnie: The reviews for “A Different Game” have been astounding. Almost universal acclaim which is about is good as it gets. A couple of Doom sites don’t seem to like us but we’re not a Doom band so that’s fine.

It is extremely gratifying as you say. It’s always nice to get applause for a performance and the music press has thrown themselves behind us 100%.

As for “Proto-metal Pioneers”, I guess that’s what we were but that’s not something that was ever considered at the time. I never thought about breaking new ground. We just did what we did and had a great time doing it.

It was obvious then though that the music was not mainstream and we didn’t always go down well. “Play something we know!” being a common cry from the unsuspecting audience. The response was usually “Fuck off, you’re getting hard rock whether you like it or not!” Ah… the arrogance of youth!

Boogs: Your new album A Different Game is quite different than your first album. What was the experience recording A Different Game as opposed to your first album? What was your guys' focus on this album, or was it just this music beast within just itching to get out and rock shit again?

Jimmy Ronnie: The main difference is that this is an album produced as a single project, in one studio, with a single line-up of musicians. It was all done in a relatively short period of time as well.

The Rockadrome album is a compilation of recorded work done during our first lifetime (1969 to 1974). As such it is a good mixture of styles and production techniques and shows the bands evolution through the first 5 years of our existence.

The focus on “A Different Game” was clear from the start. We wanted to produce a record that was pure Iron Claw and that was about capturing the live spirit of the band on record. This was about returning to our roots as a band rather than writing and recording about where we may find ourselves as changed individuals today.

Iron Claw is what was called for and Iron Claw is what was given. The end result is that we have produced an album for today. The spirit of the record is 40 years old but the sound is now. I’m very pleased with it as you can probably tell!


Boogs: Absolutely, and you have every reason to be! I definitely have my favorite tunes on A Different Game, one of them being the album's title track. What would you say is your definite song favorites writing as well as recording?

Jimmy Ronnie: I, too, like the title track which, together with “It’s Easy”, comes from a mid-90’s solo recording project of mine. A couple of the songs had been part of our 1970’s live set but never recorded in the studio. Some were recorded first time round in 1970 but never released.

This was actually our very first album recorded in Luton near London with Mike Waller on vocals. Some of the songs are brand new and written in the studio for this album. So some of the songs are old, some are new but all of them have been stripped bare and reworked for the album.

I don’t know if I’ve got any real favourites. It depends what kind of mood I’m in. “What Love Left” is definitely the right choice for the opener and single….straight to the point rock n roll! I like the Youtube promo video too (not everyone shares my opinion on that though!)

Boogs: I know you all played The Barlinnie Prison last October for charity. What else is in the works for Iron Claw?

Jimmy Ronnie: Yes. The official album launce was at Scotland’s largest prison in Glasgow. That was a very special night for us. A few hundred very sober prisoners gave us a frosty welcome to the stage. By the end of our set they were rockin' full on! That was immensely satisfying for us and hopefully we managed to plant a few seeds that night.

As we speak we are rehearsing with our new vocalist and hopefully it shouldn’t be long before we’re back on the road. Looking forward to that.

Ripple Music have offered us the chance to make another album. Their only stipulation being that it’s as “kick ass” as this one! That is some time away but we’re really looking forward to that as well.

It has been two years since we decided to reform. Two very intense, busy, yet satisfying years. Personally, up until Ripple Music came along I had given up all hope of fulfilling my dream and securing a recording and publishing deal. Just goes to show that you never know what's around the corner! As long as there is an audience for Iron Claw and we can still do it then it continues…..Here’s to the future!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, indeed, you never know what's around the corner, and as this year almost closes in, I can only suspect great things for the Iron Claw boys. There's is a great story, a very cool story that's not often told in rock. I personally love it. It takes courage and a big brass set of kahones to make a come back like Iron Claw has.

Once again, I'd like to thank Jimmy Ronnie for being gracious enough to take the time out to answer a few questions for this hard rock fan.

For more information on the Iron Claw band, visit the link to read their biography and get a healthy taste of some of their tunes featured on the their new cd release A Different Game!

Looking for the cd? Click the link to go to Ripple Music's store and grab your copy of Iron Claw: A Different Game released on Ripple Music now!

Protometal Report - Illinois Speed Press - S/T

Man, sometimes you find the craziest things.

OK, stay with me on this one.  I’d been on a tear recently, trying to get all my vinyl cataloged into a mobile database so I know what I have, what I don’t have, and hopefully stop buying so many doubles (unlikely). So there I was, somewhere in the "I" section, entering data, when I came across some record I’d never seen before.  I mean NEVER.  Not something I’d ever bought (or remembered anyways), nothing I'd ever touched or even laid my eyes on.  The record didn’t even have a cover, it just came in a slick printed inner sleeve showing some bearded guys looking rather disco with balloons.  To this day, I have no idea who those guys are, because that wasn’t the album inside.

I tossed the record to the side, figuring I’d put it on for a quick listen then throw it in the trash, but when I pulled the record out, it wasn’t the disco dudes on the record, but some other band called Illinois Speed Press.  Fine.  Never heard of em.  Still don’t know where this came from or how it managed to occupy valuable shelf space in my collection.  Regardless, I dropped it onto the turntable and the opening song “Overture” started playing.  And it was a mess.  Some random chaotic noise masquerading as music being clever.  One of the things I hate about some psychedelic rock is people so stoned they think they’re being clever.   Still, I wasn't impressed and I honestly don’t even know why I let the needle play onto the next cut.

But man, am I glad I did.

Holy crap! What’s this?  Heavy shit came roaring out of the speakers.  And I mean heavy!  Huge fuzzed-out guitar licks over a thunderous bass and smashing drum kit.  Searing dual guitar leads tear through the riffs like electric fire while a downright soulful voice brings it all home.  This song grabbed me by the ear and refused to let me walk out of the room.  “Get in the Wind” is the song and it’s a killer early protometal assault of distorted blues riffs and a mean and nasty attitude.  Ok, now the band had my attention. 

A little research turned out to be eye opening.  Turns out the album was the 1969 debut album from Chicago-based power rockers, Illinois Speed Press, a band that made huge waves on the local scene in the late ‘60’s, finally signing to Columbia for this album and 1970’s, Duet.  After slogging away in obscurity for a spell, the band’s fortunes changed when they brought in the twin guitar attack of Alabama-born Paul Cotton and native Chicago-son Kal David.  Their twin guitar prowess combined with their resolutely disparate musical influences of David’s rock and R&B tendencies with Cotton’s more country-flavored tastes.  Toss this in with some very heavy, near-metal distorted blues and we got ourselves one powerful, unexpected winner of an album. 

This all comes to head with David’s “Hard Luck Story” an extended blues workout with crisscrossing leads of massive fuzz guitar fury.   This ain’t Zeppelin blues, this is fuzzed and heavy and scorching in a massive downtempo, near doomy vibe.   The descending main blues riff is so dark it’s nearly frightening.  And that lead guitar work.   It sears through the mix.   A definite treat.

The radical dynamic of the “other” pillar becomes clear on the next cut, Cotton’s “Here Today,” a rollicking country-rock number with a sing-along melody, some tasty acoustic guitar work, and a banjo?  These are roads Cotton would explore to a lifetime of success with his next band, Poco, where he stepped in to replace the recently-departed Jim Messina.  But before I make too much of the country-side of Cotton, it needs to be mentioned that he wrote the killer “Get in the Wind” which is as rock and heavy as the album gets. So the man knew how to rock also.  I understand that Poco later reworked that song in a much different, country-vibed version on a Poco album, but I haven't heard it.

But back to this album.  After the country-ish “Here Today,” the band blows the roof off with a massively fuzzed out R&B-blues rendition of keyboardist Mike Anthony’s, “Pay The Price.”  Again, another freak out of distorto-guitar madness over a raging beat.   Reminds me of the best of early-Neil Young’s blazing guitar work over Stills in Buffalo Springfield. Same kind of fuzzed out guitar tone.

And all that is just side one.  Side two had just as many surprises with Cotton’s Buffalo Springfield-flavored "P.N.S. (When You Come Around),  to Anthony’s pure rock freakouts “Be a Woman,” and “Beauty” and David’s tender “Sky Song” and not-so-tender Hendrix-ian “Free Ride.” 

Three songwriters, three totally different styles.  Yes, it makes for a slightly schizophrenic listen, but to my ears, it all hangs together remarkably well.  It also holds onto everything I dig so much about the 1969-1973 time period—all the rules were falling apart and bands could really stretch out, get heavy, bring it down, whatever.

Illinois Speed Press however couldn’t keep it together.  The creative tension that makes this debut such a cool listen couldn’t hang in balance.  Apparently, their second album Duet, takes on much more of the Paul Cotton country-rock leanings with David’s blues rock falling to the wayside then came the eventual split.  Cotton, as we already said, made his mark with Poco where he still plays.  Kal David went on to form the Fabulous Rhinestones with former Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks (an album I just found in the $1 bin) before he performed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

But I don’t know about all that.  All I know is that this album that I intended for a “quick listen” before tossing it into the trash has become one of my favorite "finds" so far this year.  I dig the contrast of styles, each one done to perfection, all meshed together.  The lighter (but no less intense) country-rock fusing right into the driving fuzzed out blues assault.  Early protometal mixed with a country flavor.  Cool stuff.  If you dig Buffalo Springfield, early fuzzy-protometal blues, or any of the bands I mentioned, you should look for this cool gem.

So cool that I had to go out and find another copy of the record just so I could get the album cover.  Found one on eBay for $6.

Can’t wait til it arrives and Illinois Speed Press can take its rightful place in my record collection.

Now all I have to do is figure out who in the hell those disco dudes with the balloons are.


--Racer

Iron Claw's Great Rock and Roll Come Back Story Continues!

 

“Step aside, Anvil… there’s a Rock n’ Roll comeback story that blows yours into the stratosphere! IRON CLAW is the Rock n’ Roll comeback story of legend.”  So proclaimed Metal Odyssey after taking one listen to Iron Claw’s new Ripple Music release, A Different Game.

You see, IRON CLAW was playing their brand of Heavy Rock at live gigs when Heavy Metal was just getting it’s name. The early 70′s were the building blocks for the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal that we all cherish deeply in 2011… and IRON CLAW was there… planting the seeds. Touring during the early years with the legendary likes of The Kinks, Spencer Davis and Pink Fairies, (to name a few), IRON CLAW easily can be considered an important underground player within the structure of the British Rock Movement. Without a “coveted” record contract, the Rock history books have overlooked too many silent legends, the pioneers of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock such as IRON CLAW. With A Different Game, their role in Rock history shall never go unspoken again.

And what a year it’s been! First, Scotland’s Proto-Metal pioneers, returned with their first ever official album of gritty, blues-based melodic heavy rock that’s been garnering album of the year accolades from the press.  Then, they debuted the album at a record release gig at the notorious Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow as special guests of the Governor Derek McGill who wanted to show the prisoners that there are healthier alternatives to crime, such as playing and creating emotionally stimulating music.  The show was such a major event, it was covered live on radio and film by GMG Radio, Scotland and filmed as a special by Border TV!

And it doesn’t stop there. A Different Game has been receiving airplay all over the globe, specifically the lead single, “What Love Left”. Huge supporters have come from the likes of Classic Rock Radio.eu, Rock Me Baby TV, Get Ready To Rock! Radio, Planet Rock, SuperestacionMetal, and SineFM to name but a few, and Iron Claw are now one of the featured bands on the Screaming Singles, Vol. 1 compilation disc released through Nasty Casty Records.

Not bad for a band that hadn’t recorded in 40 years. And there’s much more to come.

A Different Game was released by Ripple Music on Oct 4th, and is available world-wide with distribution through Code 7 Distribution, Clearspot International and at the label’s web store.


Here’s what the press has to say:

"They have taken all their musical experience and rolled it up into an album which simply rocks. If you dig the roots of heavy metal, 70's hard rock and Southern Rock, you will indeed enjoy listening to these experienced masters of Rock N Roll." -- ThrashHead

“This is pure muscle at work and Iron Claw still has plenty of the natural juice in them to make this reunion endeavor soar . . . thankfully Iron Claw has given themselves the opportunity to say a thundering hello to the rock world, if not hijack it.”  --  Ray Van Horn, Jr., The Metal Minute

 "This is a solid, dynamic, vintage rock ‘n roll record, 13 tracks spanning 57 minutes yet hardly a dull moment to be found. A Different Game is more of the same—high quality heavy rock unearthed from the underground" -- Hellbound.ca

RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

Also available at CDBaby, Amazon.com, Ebay, and All That Is Heavy.com

Live at the Barlinnie Prison, Galsgow, Scotland

Poobah - Let Me In

One of the first things that attracted me to the Ripple Effect freaks is their deep love and understanding of the ultra obscure heavy bands from the 1970’s that they feature on the “Proto Metal Report.” Anyone who takes time out of their lives to champion Dust, Sir Lord Baltimore, Toad, JPT Scare Band, Jerusalem, etc is someone I want to know. Nobler than just talking about it, they are putting their time and money into bringing some of these lost artifacts back into existence again on their Ripple Music label. They’ve already unleashed a great collection of unreleased JPT Scare Band recordings and now they’ve done us all a huge favor by reissuing Poobah’s Let Me In.

I bought my copy just to support the label but didn’t know what to expect. Turns out this is right up my alley. Vintage Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad is some of my favorite rock and Let Me In is a killer mix of all of ‘em. Grand Poobah, guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jim Gustafson is an awesome player and burns up the fretboard like a muther. It reminded me a lot of the first time I heard the Truth & Janey band – kick ass American power trio rock from the Midwest with lots of heart and soul.

Recorded back in the glory days of 1972, the original LP of Let Me In featured 6 killer jams and a great album cover. “Mr. Destroyer” starts off with a very funny spoken intro, somewhere in between Cheech & Chong and the voice on the early Ohio Players song “Funky Worm” before an almost “War Pigs” style riff. Jim peels off some great solos and they rhythm section of bassist Phil Jones and drummer Glenn Wiseman is very tight and grooves hard. Jim’s playing brings to mind both Ron Asheton and Tony Iommi at the same time. “Enjoy What You Have” is a mellower song that should replace Boston’s worn out “More Than A Feeling” on the playlist for all classic rock radio stations. It’s followed up with the killer mid tempo boogie of “Live To Work.” Even though Poobah is from Ohio, this is pure Texas boogie that would make Johnny Winter take notice.

Side two of the original LP kicks off with probably my favorite song “Bowleen.” It’s got a great tribal drum beat similar to Alice Coooper’s “Black Juju” and Jim adds some spooky organ on top of his creepy guitar riff. “Rock N Roll” is the type of song that my older brothers used to love to torture my mother with back in the 70’s. It’s loud and obnoxious with lyrics about how great rock is and of course getting high! I can practically hear her screaming to “TURN IT DOWN” during the guitar breaks. “Let Me In” is a 6 and a half minute epic that has everything you could possibly want – great riffs, lyrics about brotherhood and a drum solo.

In addition to this great album, there are TWELVE bonus tracks! You get everything from what was probably their intro tape (“Here’s The Band”) to unreleased gems like “Going To Rock City” and “Walk Of The Bug” to live rehearsals and radio edits. No expense has been spared on this package. Audio restoration and mastering was handled by none other than Tony Dallas Reed of STONE AXE. This guy knows a little bit about how classic rock should sound, so you know the fidelity is top notch. The CD is almost 80 minutes and the double LP is a thing of beauty. The colored wax is a tripped out marble and the inside spine awaits your seeds!

--Woody

Buy here: Let Me In

Proto-metal Report - Featuring Lucifer's Friend and Night Sun

What was going on in Germany in the early 70’s that they were able to produce such kick ass world class heavy rock? And what’s wrong with the world that the music of Lucifer’s Friend and Night Sun are not being played on your local classic rock radio station right now? The debut albums from both of these bands are required listening for all fans of the mid-tempo hard n heavy realm.

The debut album from Lucifer’s Friend was first unleashed in 1970 and the opening song “Ride The Sky” is something everyone needs to hear. Released the same year as Led Zeppelin III, the song was accused of ripping off “Immigrant Song” but it turns out “Ride The Sky” came first. Take a listen for yourself and see if the opening fanfare played on French horn sounds similar to Robert Plant’s wailing vocals. Zep has been known to pinch some riffs here and there, but this might just be a weird co-incidence. But you never know. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jimmy Page was intrigued by a band named Lucifer’s Friend given his interest in the occult.

Even though Lucifer’s Friend were a German band, they were fronted by British born belter John Lawton. His high pitched voice soars above the heavy, gloomy music perfectly. I must admit the first few times I listened to this his voice reminded me a bit of Mickey Thomas but luckily there are no cheesy songs like “Fooled Around & Fell In Love” or “Jane.” The heavy organ sound makes for immediate comparisons to Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, but Lucifer’s Friend are probably closer to early Atomic Rooster in their blend of doomy guitar/organ interplay and they rarely venture into full on Emerson, Lake & Palmer prog.

All 8 songs on the original album are great. There’s everything from creepy slow ones like “Keep Goin,” mid tempo groovers like “Toxic Shadows” and faster ones like their theme song “Lucifer’s Friend. The latest edition of the CD comes with 5 bonus tracks that vary quite a bit. “Horla” is from 1970 and fits in perfectly with the album. However, there are some songs from 1973 that are pretty lame pop-rock junk like “Our World Is A Rock N Roll Band” with horrible synths and David Cassidy style vocals. Just goes to show what happens when the record company demands a hit!

Lucifer’s Friend went on to make a few more albums but changed their style quite a bit from the debut, which is where Night Sun comes in. Another German band with a high pitched screamer and pounding organist, this sounds like it should have been the second album from Lucifer’s Friend. Their debut album Mournin’ from 1972 has been described as Lucifer’s Cousin or Lucifer’s Friend That Came With The Other Guy.

Album opener “Plastic Shotgun” is an insanely complex song that will make your head spin. Night Sun has a bit more ELP in their sound than Lucifer’s Friend but are too heavy to be a full on prog rock band. “Got A Bone Of My Own” and “Slush Pan Man” are dead ringers for Death Walks Behind You-era Atomic Rooster outtakes. “Blind” has a nice jazzy groove to it similar to Deep Purple’s “Lazy” with some nice guitar work. Fast ones like “Crazy Woman” and “Nightmare” use the “Speed King” template to excellent effect.

Sadly, both of these albums are out of print but used copies can be found in all the usual places. Both of these albums belong on your stereo if you love Captain Beyond, The Groundhogs, Hard Stuff and all of the bands already mentioned. It might cost you, but heavy rock this good is hard to find.  -- Woody

Buy here:  Lucifer's Firend

Buy here: Mournin' [2010 Reissue Vinyl]

Guitar Legends JPT Scare Band Devastate BP with New Music Video, "Not My Fault"

After a hugely successful, 1 week debut on some of rock's finest websites, JPT Scare Band unleashes their darkly sarcastic attack on BP to the general public and the world.  Reports are that the biting, inflammatory video was picked up by over 40 news outlets and websites, as anger over BP's mishandling of the Louisiana Gulf Crisis bubbles over the boiling point.

Featuring the guitar wizardry of Terry Swopes, often hailed as "the most unheralded guitarist in rock" "Not My Fault" is a classic JPT Scare Band tune, written by drummer Jeff Littrell in the '70's but not recorded until 2004.  The ironic, almost cheery nature of the song plays in direct contrast to the destruction that BP has left in it's wake.

If you like the video, stay tuned to the very end, as the original 911 call BP made to the Louisiana Police demonstrates their epic downplaying of the situation.

And if you enjoy the video, please pass it on to your friends.  Link to it, embed it, twitter it, facebook it.  BP has paid millions of dollars to buy up all the sensitive search terms on the gulf crisis and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars white-washing it's role in the disaster and cleansing it's reputation. 

This is just one small way we can all fight back!

"Not My Fault" appears on the new JPT Scare Band album, Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden released by Ripple Music. 

Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power (Deluxe Edition)

This is the 4th, and hopefully the last, time I have bought Raw Power by Iggy & The Stooges. First there was the LP, then the CD in 1989, then Iggy’s remix in 1997 and now the remastered deluxe version. I even went whole hog and bought the overpriced box set because I’m such a fanatic. So do you need this new version of Raw Power? Of course you do. Despite all of it’s sonic problems, it’s still one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

For the uninitiated, The Stooges hit rock bottom and broke up in 1971. Iggy Pop got lucky and met David Bowie in New York which led to deals with Bowie’s manager and CBS Records. Originally signed as a solo artist, it evolved into a new version of The Stooges. James Williamson became Iggy’s new musical partner, and after trying out some musicians in England, they decided to recruit Scott Asheton on drums and brother Ron Asheton switched from guitar to bass. The music this band created was just as intense as their previous material but had some a bit more conventional songwriting structure.

Recorded in 1972 but not released until February 1973, Raw Power in its original form was 8 classic songs delivered in 34 violent minutes. Over the years there has been much said about the sound of the album and the final mix that involved David Bowie. Iggy is credited as the producer of the album and his original mix (later to show up on many bootlegs and Bomp’s 1995 CD Rough Power) was rejected for being too insane. Bowie was drafted in to try and make sense of it all and to hopefully sell a few more units. Over the years Iggy and Bowie have made a lot of derogatory comments about each others work on Raw Power. Iggy says Bowie neutered it, Bowie says they made so many technical errors during the recording it couldn’t be fixed. No one will ever really know the truth since everyone involved was totally out of their minds on drugs back then. Bowie’s mix is pretty tame compared to Iggy’s original, and Iggy’s remix tried too hard to appeal to the Rage Against The Machine crowd.

So how does the original Raw Power remaster sound? Fuckin great! Bowie’s original mix totally buries the bass and drums, which is a shame because Ron and Scott play great. But truth be told, this is the version we all grew up with and how we first heard the songs. Every song on here is a stone classic. The anthems “Search & Destroy” and “Raw Power” are just as potent as ever. “Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell” and “Shake Appeal” kick ass, “Gimme Danger” and “I Need Somebody” are killer slow burners. “Penetration” is one of the greatest guitar riffs ever written while “Death Trip” acknowledges that they know their band is destined for failure. Iggy’s lyrics are excellent and his voice delivers them with much venom and determination. James’ guitar playing is stellar. This was his first time recording an album and he certainly left his mark. His sound and style made a huge impact on everyone from The Dead Boys, The Dictators, Sex Pistols to The Smiths and just about anyone else who picked up an electric guitar after 1973.

The real reason to pick this up is the previously unreleased live show from Atlanta, October 1973. The Stooges played about a week’s worth of shows at a club called Richards that have become pretty legendary. One night Iggy snorted so much crystal meth he thought he was hallucinating when a gorilla jumped on stage. Turns out it was Elton John in a costume. Iggy later said the only reason Sir Elton was interested in the band was because he wanted to get into James Williamson’s pants. This show was recorded for radio broadcast but never aired. It’s easy to see why. Iggy’s dirty talk and the bands sound was way too over the top for commercial radio, then or now.

There have been many Stooges bootlegs documenting the 1973 tour, but this one has the best fidelity. The performance is very good and there’s plenty of Iggy antagonizing the crowd. In between songs you can hear a woman in the crowd say “I don’t think he likes us.” Iggy confronts a heckler by yelling at him “hey, you want to get your little fuckin face punched out little cracker boy? Come up here little Billy boy, I’m sick of your shit!” Needless to say, the guy does not accept the offer.

James’ guitar cuts in and out for the first 2 songs but his playing is top notch. Ron often complained about getting moved to bass, but his playing is incredibly fluid and locks in with Scott like few rhythm sections in rock. Scott Thurston (later of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) joined the band on piano and harmonica and plays great. By the time Raw Power was released the band was already bored of the material and only playing a few songs from the album - the title track, “Search & Destroy,” “I Need Somebody” and “Gimme Danger.” The next batch of songs they were working on showed immense potential. “Head On” is easily one of their best songs and is driven by an incredible bass line by Ron (lifted from “L.A. Woman” by The Doors). “Cock In My Pocket” and “Heavy Liquid” are fast rockers. There are a few different arrangements of “Heavy Liquid” from other live shows out there, but this version is probably the best. “Open Up and Bleed” is another great unreleased song. Long, slow and moody, it highlights the frustration the band felt at the time.

For the maniacs that buy the box set, there’s a 3rd CD with some outtakes from the session. Most of them have been released before on numerous semi-legal compilations. “I’m Hungry” is new to me. It’s the same take of “Penetration” with Iggy trying out some different lyrics. Cool, but unessential stuff. The best part of the box set is the hour long DVD about the making of Raw Power. Chrissie Hynde, Henry Rollins, Johhny Marr and a few others talk about the importance of the album, but it’s even better to hear it straight from Iggy, James and Scott. You get to see James demonstrate how to play the riff to “Penetration” and talk about how he approached writing the songs. You also get to hear how Scott launched his copy out the front door the first time he heard the final mix of Raw Power. The box also comes with a big booklet with lots of Mick Rock’s iconic photos of the band and a 7” single that replicates the Japanese 45 of “Raw Power” b/w “Search & Destroy.”

Iggy & The Stooges will be performing Raw Power in its entirety at the All Tomorrows Parties festival in upstate NY this September as well as some European festivals this summer. 

--Woody

buy here:Raw Power
buy here: Raw Power [Vinyl]
buy here: Raw Power (Limited Deluxe Edition)

http://www.iggyandthestoogesmusic.com/

Ripple News - The New Ripple Music Record Label Prepares New Releases from JPT Scare Band, Fen, Poobah, and Kevin Beadles

Hello friends!

Welcome to May and Spring is in full swing, flowers are bloomin' like crazy and the happy little elves at Ripple Music are preparing for a summer full of releases! 

We'll be seeing our first official release hitting the streets on June 22nd, 2010 in the form of JPT Scare Band's Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden. The heavily fuzzed out blues-based rock outfit has worked hand in hand with Ripple Music in the song selection and the album art to fully encapsulate the bands (in)glorious history as the unsung heroes of proto-metal. Coming on the heals of the widely acclaimed self-released album Rumdum Daddy, Acid Blues will be available in deluxe CD digipak, digital download, and multi-colored double 12" vinyl formats. The vinyl edition will also include two bonus tracks for your listening pleasure! Follow the link to hear more from this painfully obscure classic rock outfit! http://www.reverbnation.com/user/login#/jptscareband

Vancouver's beloved alienists on the path of self discovery, Fen, are preparing for the release of their fourth album, Trails Out of Gloom. The epic album of brooding and hauntingly beautiful songs will hit the streets on July 13th with the band working the road in support of the disc. Initially, Trails will be available in deluxe CD digipak and digital download formats, but plans are underway for a follow up 12" vinyl release. To hear some advanced tracks, please follow this link . . . http://www.reverbnation.com/user/login#/fen

Bay Area singer/songwriter, Kevin Beadles, also has an album available for the masses of happy and hungry music listeners. You Can't Argue With Water will officially hit the streets through Ripple Music on July 13th, 2010, featuring well crafted songs that are highlighted by thought provoking lyrics. The album will be available in CD digipak and digital download formats. For some samples of Kevin's work, follow the link . . .http://www.reverbnation.com/user/login#/kevinbeadles

Ripple Music is also proud to announce the release of the 1972 lost classic, Let Me In, from Poobah. Featuring the guitar wizardry of Jim Gustafson, Poobah has milled about in the same circles as classic rock icons Hawkwind, Blue Cheer, and Iron Butterfly. This deluxe re-issue will be available in jewel case CD, digital download, and multi-colored double 12" vinyl formats . . . and all will include bonus tracks from "lost tapes" of the Let Me In recording sessions. Look for the album this summer, and in the meantime, feel free to listen to some of the music that you have missed over the years . . . http://www.reverbnation.com/user/login#/poobah

Finally, Modern Day Moonshine has submitted the cover art and the album title for their long-awaited follow up to their self-titled EP from last year. Refuge follows the same big sky, open land path that this trio has walked for the past five years . . . but with a fresh burst of energy and a focused approach. Refuge will initially be available in CD digipak and digital download formats, but we're not ruling out a vinyl edition in the near future. 

Ripple Music has also come to agreements with the Santa Barbara modern rock outfit, Tripdavon, to re-release their latest album, Sketches From Silence, in a deluxe format filled with unreleased tracks and bonus material. And, as of this writing, the label has also come to a verbal handshake with classic proto-metallers, Iron Claw, from the UK to release their first collection of studio material since their classic self-titled 70's release. 

2010 promises to be an exciting year with a ton of great music, so tune in frequently, or simply sign up to our mailing list and get the 411 before anyone else! 

That's all for now . . . and remember, if you're not listening to it loud, you're not listening to it right!

Ripple Music

www.ripple-music.com

The Godz – Power Rock From USA

The CD is titled Power Rock From USA but should be called Belligerent Biker Metal From Columbus, OH. Combining all of their self titled debut album (produced by Don Brewer of Grand Funk!) and most of the 2nd one, Nothing Is Sacred, this is essential 70’s hard rock, especially if you love Steppenwolf, The Dictators, (early) Kiss and Mahogany Rush.

The Godz should have been huge. Despite being signed to Casablanca Records and touring with Kiss and Cheap Trick on the Love Gun tour, it just didn’t happen the way it should have. Maybe their biker image scared off the Kiss crowd? The label quickly lost interest and the critics HATED them. Rolling Stone described The Godz as a “miserable hard-rock quartet from Columbus, Ohio, epitomizing the most wretched excesses of Seventies rock.” That quote alone should have earned them some gold records. Poppy songs like “Go Away,” “Baby Love U,” and “Gotta Muv” could have roped in radio listeners so The Godz could unleash their harder jams on unsuspecting young girls.

Their greatest song is “Gotta Keep A Runnin” – 7 and a half minutes of cowbell driven arena rock fury. It’s like “Born To Be Wild” and “Highway Star” rolled into one giant middle finger boogie. Like they say before the guitar solo, this is “GODZ ROCK N ROLL.” And they’re only getting warmed up. Bassist/vocalist Eric Moore delivers an incredible monologue in the middle that rivals the best stage raps from Jim Dandy, Ted Nugent or Dee Snider. Here’s a small sample – “Now dig up ya’ll. Now we stoned & boned, hot & sweaty. Look at us: we're everything your parents ever warned you about. They think we're all junkies. Everybody is some kind of junkie. There's money junkies, booze junkies, dope junkies, sex junkies, & there is one thing they don't understand. All of us, you & I are GODZ. And Godz are rock & roll junkies.” The rap goes on and on getting more frantic before exploding in a chorus of “THE GODZ ARE ROCK N ROLL MACHINES!” This is an anthem that should still be reverberating in every arena and stadium around the world.

Another killer jam is “714,” a love song to pharmaceutical Quaalude Lemmon 714. The lyrics are explicitly anti-education and celebrate “getting’ messed up everyday.” Is this an example of the “wretched excesses” mentioned in Rolling Stone? Who wants to share their ludes with a party pooper from a lame ass magazine when there are plenty of chicks in suede vests and wineskins around? Not The Godz! “Candy’s Going Bad” is a cover of a song originally by Golden Earring. Clocking in at 10 minutes, it includes an instrumental freak out similar to “L.A. Blues” by The Stooges or “Dream Lover” by The Plasmatics.

Some of the best lyrics are in the song “Luv Kage.” A stomping beat underlines the plea for freedom from an oppressive relationship. A man and woman agree to live together but “still have fun on the side.” Later the woman tries making the relationship exclusive but the guy is having none of it. What kind of insane woman would try to put one of The Godz in a “Luv Kage?” That will never work!

Eric Moore still leads a version of The Godz to this day and recently played some shows with their old rivals Angel. Based on some recent interviews available on youtube, Eric is still belligerent and unrepentant. Would you want the main man of The Godz any other way? Sadly, Power Rock From USA is out of print in the USA but you can probably find a used copy easily enough if you check ebay. This is perfect quittin’ time music. After yet another crappy day at the job, put this in your car as you burn rubber to the nearest happy hour.


--Woody


Buy here: Power Rock From USA

http://www.thegodz.net/

Jerusalem – S/T

It’s easy to see why Ian Gillan was inspired to work with this ragged and raw, incendiary gang. At their best, they managed the compelling riff-mania of Purple, fused with some serious blues licks and the pulverizing heaviness of Sabbath. But on further listen, there’s something else to the band, something much more sinister and malevolent than that simple description puts forth. Yes, Sabbathy, doom-laden riffs abound, but whereas Sabbath played their game like a B-rated horror movie from the House of Hammer come to life, Jerusalem infuse their death-blues with a true sense of the ominous. Fired by the ragged-endothelial celled larynx of Lynden Williams, and I.V. fed with a hefty does of fuzz and spit, there’s something intensely subversive lurking under the at-first-glance straight ahead protometal on this disc.

Produced by Gillan with a brief intro by the Purple man himself -- where he said, "not many bands really excite me. But this one's so raw and completely unpretentious"-- it’s still shocking to this day that Jerusalem didn’t follow in the footpath of their benefactor. Heavy, bluesy, yet melodic, memorable hooks combined with inventive song structures, inspired playing and the gutsy neo-Nazareth vocals, all the components seemed to be there for a long run of success. But is wasn’t meant to be. After this one platter, the band departed into the murky halls of rock and roll’s past.

Thankfully, Rockadrome (as they so often seem to do) weren’t content to let this mini-masterpiece of angst-protometal drift away. Lovingly remastered with the aid of original bass player, Paul Dean, Jerusalem has once again been given the room to spread it’s dark and ugly wings, unleashing a sonic force of near-crazed, ploddingly heavy proto-doom onto a once again unsuspecting world.

In many ways, Jerusalem were entirely of their time. As each song unfolds, all that is fantastic about the protometal period is revealed in stunning clarity. The mutation of blues based rock, a la Cream, into it’s much angrier, disenchanted brother. The dying twinges of psychedelia’s optimism bleeding into an ugly and snarling beast, bleeding and drooling from it’s gaping, tooth-filled maw. Traces of fuzz and wah fighting to survive amongst the downtuned bass and the pummeling low end of the drum kit. But again, listen hard and you’ll find something more. At times, I swear you can hear the amped up, stuttering attack of early Stooges. In the lyrics, hints of horror movie purple prose are replaced with the serious darkness of a funeral epitaph. In other words, Jerusalem were the real deal. What ever it was they were feeling, it was dark and consuming, and needed to be released like the beast mentioned above.

Songs like “She Came Like a Bat from Hell,” and “Midnight Steamer,” pound with a funky, staggering oppressiveness. “Murderer’s Lament,” positively punishes with its discordant attack, stop-start drumming, and descent into a darkened, cold and haunting prison. “Frustration,” brims with protometal energy with it’s fuzzed out rumbling riff and massively mutated blues structure. Throughout, the guitars are a stunning assault, a textbook of early protometal ferocity, while Williams’ vocals, always on the brink of their last functioning cell, add a frenzied, near psychotic velocity to the air.

“Hooded Eagle,” descends into massive Sabbathisms, rumbling and destroying everything in it’s path like a marauding army descending upon a defenseless Saxon camp. “Beyond the Grave,” teases with a jaunty, lute-like intro before laying waste to small villages with a two-pronged, Ozzy-inspired assault of early-Sabbath intensity. And when I mean cloak-laden darkness, I mean it. “Someday we shall meet again/Death is only a minutes pain” Williams spits out, fully convincing in his intent. But perhaps the albums greatest/darkest, most sinister moment is the magna-opus to fuzzed out heaviness that is “Primitive Man.” Williams is barely able to hold his voice together for the entire length of this massive death dirge of pummeling intensity. This has to be the grand epic of heavy, stoner doom for its time. Not one to be missed for the inclined.

But light does emerge from the vast cloak of darkness. Don’t go looking for it in the inappropriately titled “I See the Light,” which drips out of the speakers at funeral procession pace, sounding much more like a crazed man’s moment of complete loss of sanity than a moment of optimism. No, the light peeks through during “When the Wolf Sits,” which denies none of its blackened heritage, but is graced with a meaty, twisted blues riff and melody that would’ve made Nazareth proud. A true toe-tapping, sing along moment amongst the punishing wave of despair.

Rightly so, Jerusalem is hailed as one of the lost hallmark albums of protometal, easily held in the same high regard as Leafhound or Pentagram. In truth, the album is deserving of that praise and so much more. Like the recently Rockadrome resurrection of Iron Claw, Jerusalem produced some of the heaviest, darkest, most punishingly heavy and doom-laden metal to be unleashed during those halcyon days. And they were way ahead of their time. If anything, the album still sounds stunningly frightening today and I can only imagine how it must have terrified the public back then.

A true classic, and deservedly so.

--Racer

Buy here: Jerusalem


www.rockadrome.com