Dark, heavy, proggy, 70's psych, for lack of a better description. One reviewer writes: "Hard Rock/Proto Metal meets Prog Rock and the result is pleasing to the ears. This album simply bristles with one fantastic song after the other. Find it and get it." Well, that seems fairly straight forward.
The best info I could dig up came from a blog written in broken English, and I really couldn't understand it much. I didn't translate very well. But I gather that they were from the U.K, and one of the band members ended up in Atomic Rooster. Maybe you would like to give it a read HERE.
Rick Parnel was the Drummer at one point. (Atomic Rooster, Spinal Tap)
The band was active from 1968 to 1972 and became a band called Satunalia.
A band lost to the realm of speculation, misinformation, and outright myth, Steel Mill (not to be confused with the Springsteen band of the same name) stumped even expert music collectors for decades due to a scarcity of reliable evidence documenting the band.
In time, it was learned that the late '60's roots of the band lay in the South London neighborhood of Wadsworth. A combination of the bands Garrett Singers, and Roadrunners, the ensuing year after their formation was spent in constant rehearsal with only rare interruptions for live shows. They cut a handful of promising demos in 1970.
Soon after, the bands first single, "Green Eyed God" was issued by their new label prophetically named Penny Farthing Records, and actually went to achieve #51 on the British charts and an eye opening #17 on the German charts.They holed themselves up in a London studio to track their first L.P. "Green Eyed God" to capitalize on their recent chart success. Despite giving the album a 1972 release in Germany, where their type of rock was assumed to go over better, and in the U.L., Penny Farthing decided to gamble the bands future on a second, non-album single called "Get on the Line" which ironically took the music industry's shady dealings to task. When this failed to come close to matching up with the preceding single, members began splitting and eventually the band fizzled out in August of 1972. Penny Farthing saw to it that a re-released was pressed in 1975, but I believe it was very limited. The album saw a re-issue on CD from Rise Above Records with the singles included plus bonus tracks.
The Deviants (formerly The Social Deviants) were and English Rock group originally active in the 1960's, but until his death in 2013 used as a vehicle for the musical work of writer Mick Farren.
Farren once stated that the Deviants were a originally a "community band" where people "did things now and then It was like a total assault thing with a great deal of inter-relation and interdependence."
With the financial backing of Nigel Samuel, the 21 year old son of a millionaire, who Mick had befriended, the group independently released their first album "Ptooff", selling copies in the underground press until it was picked up by Decca records
" Musically, Farren described their sound as "teeth-grinding psychedelic rock" somewhere between The Stooges and The Mothers of Invention. The Deviants have been described as a transition between classic British psych, and the punk/heavy metal aesthetic of the '70's. According to Farren, The Deviants original aim was to make it "a loud basic rock band" playing "British amphetamine psychosis music."
Amen.
They released three albums between 1967 and 1969. This being their first, "PTOOFF!" 1967
Formed in Cork, Ireland in August of 1966 as a trio consisting of Rory Gallagher on guitars and vocals, Eric Kitteringham on bass, and Norman Damery on drums. In their early years, Taste began touring Hamburg and Ireland before becoming regulars at Maritime Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1968, Taste began performing in the U.K. where the original lineup split up. The new lineup formed with Richard McCraken on bass, and John Wilson on drums. The new Taste permanently moved to London and signed with Polydor Records. In 1968, the band, along with Yes, opened for Cream at it's farewell concerts. In '69 they began touring with Blind Faith across America and Canada. In 1969 the band released their first of two albums (this one) and the second ("On the Boards") in 1971. After playing with The Who and Hendrix at the Isle of White Festival, Gallagher disbanded the group to pursue a solo career.
Some years after the bands breakup, recordings of the original lineup surfaced.
A musical homage to Taste and Gallagher was by Black 47 entitled "Rory"
The Savage Resurrection were an American psychedelic rock band from the San Francisco bay area, and were active in 1967 and 1968. The band were known as one of the youngest psychedelic bands around, with their 16 year old lead guitarist, Randy Hammon, who is the cousin of Blue Cheer Drummer Paul Whaley. Formed in '67, the band was signed to Mercury Records and released their self titled debut in 1968. The album was produced by Abe "Voco" Kesh, who is famous for his work with Blue Cheer and Harvey Mandel. There was some speculation that Randy Hammon was really Randy Holden due to some citing that was done in the book The Pop Narcotic, but this was misconception.
Flied Egg was a Japanese trio. Their farewell album "Goodbye" reveals, although not the most stylistically focused band you've heard, but three guys having a lot of fun at what they're doing.
The first side is recorded live and in style of guitar driven hard rock. It is rather simplistic, but definitely hard and energetic. The studio side is a bit more sophisticated and progressive. Especially the excellent energetic and complex instrumental, "521 Second Schizophrenic Symphony", that includes some sophisticated organ and piano. If you can find it, "Goodbye" is well worth a listen if you're into 70's Hard Rock with some prog parts thrown in here and there.
Diamond Lil was formed in 1975 and continued until 1978. The group started in Braintree, Essex as a cover band, playing popular numbers from Wishbone Ash, The Pirates, and Thin Lizzy as well as some other rock classics. During their first year, they did a complete 180 and played only their original material having penned over forty songs. You can read their entire history HERE
It was the idea of Malc McMillan (of Zerlinder Records, editor, historian and author of a N.W.O.B.H.M. covering the late 70's to 80's only.) to release this 45. The plan was to release a limited run of 500 &" singles, all hand numbered. The result was these two songs, recorded in 1976, and released in 2005.
All the musical muscularity of a no-nonsense proto-metal band, but they also venture into prog territory with changing time signatures, soft/hard dynamics multi-part arrangements, and even some ornate Baroque interludes.
High Tide made their first recordings as the backing band of Denny Gerrard's album: Sinister Morning. Gerrard returned the favor by producing their first album Sea Shanties, which was released in 1969. Though it met with a scathing review in Melody Maker, reviews in the underground press were generally positive, and sales were just enough for Liberty to green light a second album.
The second album High Tide was released a year later, and a third album was being recorded in 1970, however Roger Haddon, who had been suffering from mental instability and depression going back to his time before he joined High Tide, had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized before the album had been finished. unable to continue without Hadden, the group split up.
Psychedelic Heavy Metal that's a must hear. This 1969 debut from High Tide is without a doubt one of the heaviest available at the time. Even compared to 80's Heavy Metal, High Tide appears to have the proverbial "been there, done that, got the T-shirt." enriched deep within the psychedelic scene, High Tide explores the field in a new direction, forceful guitar riffing, high paced rhythms, (and a few slow paced passages thrown in for good measure) makes High Tide stand with one foot in 60's psych, the other in 80's metal.
The ever-popular Seeds were an American rock band. The group, whose repertoire spread between Garage Rock and Acid Rock are considered an influential Proto-Punk band. Lead singer Sky Saxon had a music career that went back to pre-Beatles days, when he recorded a few 45's as Richie Marsh. Born in Salt Lake City he was based in Los Angeles in the 1960's. The Seeds were formed in 1965 with Saxon joining by replying to an advertisement. Keyboardist Darryl Hooper was a major factor in the bands sound; the band was first to utilize keyboard bass. Guitarists Jan Savage and Jeremy Levine with drummer Rick Andridge completed the original quintet. Although Sky Saxon is usually credited as bass player, he never actually played on any Seeds recordings. That duty was left to a session musician.
Captain Foam "This heavy little 45 comes from Ohio, I have to assume it dates from the 70's based on the sound and the lyrical content of the B-side. All I know about Captain Foam is the guy was billed as a one man act, I guess he played with a taped drum track? I don't know, but from the looks of the picture below, I'm guessing it was loud!"The comments section goes on to offer further insight. "He had Mike O'Brian, a monster drummer and they were billed as Captain Foam and the Doctor. Don't know how they did it back then without today's gizmos, but the 45 doesn't even come close to their live show!" "Captain Foams original band was called Lord Ritchie and the Mariners, then he became Captain Foam & the Doctor (the Doctor being the drummer with psychedelic painted drums, double kick and all.) They were both from Canton, Ohio"
