Friday, March 4, 2011

The Day After The Sabbath 38: Steam Roller

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TDATS 38 kicks off with Stonewall, an NYC band with just one s/t album, this track is perfect for an opening track, it's got one of those huge rolling riffs that sounds instantly familiar, like it's been woven in the fabric of the universe for ever. Next up is guitar/drums two-piece Captain Foam, from Ohio. It's from a 45 from 1972. It has a wall of sound thing going on and if you search pictures you will see they embodied this with their wall of amps on stage.

01. Stonewall - Outer Spaced (1969)
02. Captain Foam - No Reason (1972)
03. Sweet - Cockroach (1976)
04. Clear Light - Street Singer (1967)
05. Blues Image - Pay My Dues (1970)
06. Cozy Powell - And Then There Was Skin (1973)
07. CWT - Steam Roller (1973)
08. Ufomammut - Peace Of Mind [Blue Cheer cover] (2000)
09. Damnation Of Adam Blessing - Driver (1970)
10. Miguel Abuelo & Nada - Tirando Piedras Al Rio (1975)
11. Larry Coryell - Sex (1969)
12. Johnny Winter - Guess I'll Go Away (1971)
13. Wishbone Ash - The Pilgrim (1971)

Sweet (or The Sweet) are a well-known band due to some of their pop-rock hit singles but I include them here as I have been reading their popular sound was imposed on them by record label pressure while the band themselves played heavy live and preferred it that way, as you can tell from some of the lesser-known tracks buried away in their LPs. Clear Light were a one-album west coast psych band that created a doomy atmosphere in this track from 1967.  Cozy Powell will be known to most of you as part-time drummer of many huge bands like Sabbath and Rainbow. He has a small body of solo work and this "Dance With the Devil" B-side is a great little jam with a compact drum solo.

I have used another contemporary cover here, this time from Italian stoner doom titans Ufomammut, doing Blue Cheer proud. In my recent research for a South American volume I came across "Miguel Abuelo & Nada" and am quite stunned at the quality and scope of vision of the Argentinean ensemble, that recorded this work in France. Larry Coryell offers up a little jazz-psych song with a great guitar workout toward the end and the comp ends on two tracks from accomplished artists. Johnny Winter showing his infectious guitar riffery and Wishbone Ash their embryonic form of prog metal on 'The Pilgrim'.


Thanks
Rich

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11 comments:

  1. Cheers guys, yes that Cozy Powell track's good eh?

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  2. Blues image, C.Powel, J.Winter...ok, well...a great comp. But now...MIguel abuelo et nada....jeje...HOW did you get that?...i´m impressed.

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  3. Ah well I came across Miguel abuelo et nada recently while I was researching for the forth-coming latin american comp. I think it must have been from someone's RYM list, I liked the album immediately, it's very adventurous! I love the use of varied instruments and the bits like when this track temporarily drifts off to the sounds of kids laughing and playing. It's a nice break from the heaviness quota that I usually look for, but his songs have that too!

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  4. No way, wasn't expecting a new comp today! Lots of good ones here, a few we've talked about, and CWT is great with that hornline, can't wait to hear this track from 'em. New names and a great Wishbone Ash track, can't wait to check it out!

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  5. Many thanx, man! And yes, SWEET were poppish at the beginning, "bubblegum music" it used to be called but check for the albums: "Desolation Blvd.", "Sweet Fanny Adams" and the complete "Live in London" (1973) ...another band! And the guitarist Andy Scott was clearly a Blackmoresque hero and not to forget Steve Priest on bass. They even did funky and (almost) prog: "Lady of the lake" and some tracks from "Leavel headed". And how to forget the anthem: "Fox on the run", the jewel: "Love is like oxygen" and one forgotten track I like particularly called: "Medussa". And we forgive 'em for the childish: "Poppa Joe", "Little Willy" and "Co-Co"... youngsters' mistakes!

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  6. Captain Foam track is heavy indeed! I never heard about 'em, what a power! Another devilish and obscure track from 1968 was "Son of fantasy". It was on the 1st album from the american band: THE HOOK. On the 2nd and last LP they cut a much longer version of the same song.
    Thanx again Rich!!!

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  7. I got surprised when i saw the name of Miguel Abuelo, cause this album may be one of the best from Argentine rock of all the times. A very rare masterpiece recorded in France during Miguel´s exile on the seventies, together with Argentine and Uruguayan musicians also exiled of the dictatorships.
    Miguel Abuelo & Nada it has never been edited in Argentina. In France there was an edition in CD, which nowadays i think is almost unobtainable.
    Great.
    Thanks for this comp Rich ;D

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  8. Wow! Captain Foam! So rad and rare! Where did you find it? Thanks a ton for all the killer jams!

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  9. Man Rich, i'm good for years with your blog! I've only gotten to vol.3, i take it slow to let it all sink in nicely, and i haven't found a weak spot yet.. so good, everything i love in contemporary music has it's core in here, i had no clue.. tracked down some full albums too (captain beyond, night sun, sir lord baltimore, ...), it's a whole new world opening!
    Thanks so much for making these comps., and for opening my eyes and ears to these well-hidden treasures, frozen in time, but timeless!
    Cheers from Belgium!

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