Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, American heavy metal band Bang were active for only a brief time in the early 70's. The group released three albums for Capitol and had one minor hit single with "Questions", which reached #90 on the Billboard Hot 100. They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath and are considered to be forerunners of the doom-metal genre. The group briefly reformed in the 2000's and recorded two more CD's worth of music. In 2004 the concept album "Death of a Country" was released on L.P. and CD. This album was recorded in 1971 and intended to be released as the bands debut full length, but it was shelved by Capitol who did not feel releasing a "Heavy Concept Album" as the band's debut was commercially viable. Later that year, their self titled sophomore album was released as their debut instead.
Briefly hyped as top contenders for scene supremacy, and once praised as America's Black Sabbath, the power trio quickly saw it's promise squandered, instead, by their own inexperience and overbearing managerial intervention that diluted Bang's original vision, and derailed their bid for success within a few short years.
Borrowing their name from a Chuck Berry song about a meddlesome monkey, Jo Jo Gunne were signed to David Geffen's Asylum records, as an antidote to the 'singer-songwriter' trend of the early 70's. The band had a top 10 hit in the U.K. charts with "Run Run Run" from their self titled debut L.P. (1972). The album peaked at #27 in the U.S. charts and received airplay in heavy rotation on the FM album oriented stations. They soon dispensed with any of the esoteric directions favored by Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes in their previous life as members of Spirit. Taking brother Matt Andes and drummer Curly Smith along for company, Jo Jo stared out of a hot-rod looking every inch like golden California stoner Gods on their '72 debut, a brisk affair, kicked into gear by the catchy "Run Run Run."
The group did not maintain the commercial
momentum of their first release. "Bite Down Hard" struggled to retain similar momentum; frequent lineup changes and "Jumpin' the Gun's" tasteless album cover backfired on the band, are contributing factors that can be blamed for drastically falling sales, the band broke up in 1975. Their 1974 swansong depicted them as late-comers to the glam rock ball, and lazy tracks like "S&M Blvd." didn't suit them. Jo Jo ran out of gas. A case of too much too fast.
The original lineup temporarily reformed around 1992, but not much more happened of it. All four L.P.'s have been reissued in 2000 by Rhino titled "The Asylum Years Vol.1 & Vol.2" along with five bonus tracks. It rapidly sold out, and was issued again by Wounded Bird, minus the booklet that came with the Rhino release. And again on British Edsel records minus the bonus tracks.
Les Variations was a French rock band formed in 1966 through the 70's, who sang in English and was known for it's guitar driven music. Frances first band to headline the legendary Olympia Theater, the first to tour America, The first to sign with an American label (Buddah), and the first to achieve hit records in America. (you might say the "First Rock Band" of France!) They developed an impressive following touring through Europe playing song by their favorite artists, Little Richard, The Stones, Elvis Presley, & Chuck Berry etc. On their last two albums (of four) "Moroccan Roll" and "Cafe de Paris", their compositions, arrangements, and lyrics contained sounds and stories of North African and Jewish Sephartic culture as well as Hebrew songs of the band members youth growing up in North Moroccanroll music, which is played throughout Northern Africa and has influenced many western rock bands over the last four decades. (three of the four members were Moroccan Jews, the fourth was Italian)
Africa. With this sound, they achieved a new rock fusion which is now referred to as
Their first album, "Nador", is impressively loud and heavy for 1969, and so sounds years ahead of it's time. The band was pretty much hard rock right out of the gate. The second, "Take it or Leave it" is equally impressive. Both of these releases are outright guitar rock, basically a prelude to what was in store for the guitar rock drivin' 70's.
Unfortunately, just as they were beginning to gain measurable success in America, members began leaving for solo projects and on December 7th 1975, gave their last performance at Phillidelphia's Academy of Music and two weeks later, disbanded.
In 1977, the band reformed for a historic recording session for CBS and it wen't to #1 in Isreal, Egypt, and Jordan.
American hard rock band Granicus formed in 1969 in Cleveland, Oh. Formed by drummer Joe Battaglia, the group would rehearse in his home but later moved into a jail-like warehouse. A better environment suited to compose their music with a high energy. Commenting on coming of age in a Vietnam back-dropped America, the groups music was influenced by late 60's psychedelic bands like Cream, Hendrix, and Blue Cheer, as well as early 70's major rock acts like Deep Purple and Zeppelin. Their influence greatly showed when their singer Woody Leffel would sing in a high register much like Robert Plant or Ian Gillian. They spent a few years gigging around the Cleveland area and were signed by RCA in 1973. That same year saw both the release of their eponymous debut, and their demise as the band split up shortly
thereafter.
Okay, I realize that the Scorpions aren't considered "under-ground" per se, Then again, neither are the Stooges, Deep Purple, and yes, even Blue Cheer. Truth is, in 1972 The Scorpions was a 'Hard-Psych' band (if one must apply labels). And just as many people knew of them as Freedoms Children, Leaf Hound, or even Shinki Chen. It was still light years away from where Black Sabbath was at the time, or Zeppelin, Hendrix, et-al.
This, the Scorps' 1972 debut full length, is the only album featuring Michael Schenker as a full time member. He departed after this release to form UFO. As would become standard in their catalog, Lonesome Crow had a few different covers (although, in this case, NOT for controversial content) , and was even titled "Action" in some markets. All in all, a good fit for what this blog is about.
The six members of Scrubbaloe Cain spent their formative years as Cannonball, playing venues in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Quebec City. It was when the band was in Winnipeg that Don Hunter, The Guess Who's manager, took an interest in the band. Hunter sent out Jim Kale, who had just been released from The Guess Who, to check on the band's progress. At the time, the band had been playing steady at the Electric Circle in Quebec City. Kale was impressed, and gave Hunter a good report. Sometime later, the bands bass player wasn't strong enough, and Kale, being the ex-bassist for the Guess Who, joined the band.
The band released singles from their debut album in 1973 & 74, but to little success. Plans to record a 2nd album tentatively titled "Street Level" never materialized. The band split up broke and far from home in Toronto in '76.
This 1972 album marked the end of the road for what began in 1965 halfway around the world in the Independent State of Isreal when the band released their first works as The Churchills, a beat-pop group that enjoyed moderate success on the beat circuit, and was responsible for recording the first Hebrew sung rock album in 1969. They later changed their name to Jericho Jones and released the L.P. "Junkies, Monkeys, & Donkeys" in 1971. After this, they changed their name once more simply to Jericho. The band released this album in 1972. After spending some time in the U.K., the band split up shortly after it's release. This has a "good time sunny day rock n roll" kind of vibe. It makes me wanna load up my "boogie van" and head down to the beach to engage in a stereo war with other impressive mobile hi-fi systems and chase chicks. Total party album.
Tarkus was a Peruvian hard rock band formed in Lima, Peru in 1972. Peruvians Alex Nathanson (singer & acoustic guitar), Wallo Carillo (drums and percussion), Argentina born Dario Gianella, and Guillermo Van Locke.
It was Van Locke, the bands bass player who approached Carillo and Nathanson, both members of the group Telegraph Avenue, who had just finished recording their first L.P., an album that would become the best seller of all Peruvian rock groups in the 70's.
Nathanson and Carillo took a break from Telegraph Avenue to join Van Locke to explore mixing progressive with hard rock. The new group was baptized Tarkus, based on a mythical creature that lives deep within the soul. The group were pretty successful in concert but lacked a melodic element. That would change with the arrival of Dario Ginella, an Argentinian guitar player and prolific composer.
After months of playing together the band was signed to MAG, a Peruvian label. Their sole album was recorded in 1972 and the band was awarded total creative control. Fifty copies were made, all promos on the MAG label. Only a few were sold in stores.
The L.P. had heavy rock, good compositions, good musicianship, and a futuristic vision, but was too advanced for Peruvian rock fans. I would have sold well in the U.S., but in Peru, the label decided not to release the album due to low demand. (making copies of this L.P. EXTREMELY rare). At the end of 1972, the band went their own ways and Carillo and Nathanson regrouped with Telegraph who went on to record a second L.P. and continues to perform in Peru today.
Euclid's one and only album is among the very best of late 60's-early 70's heavy rock albums of all time. Based out of Haverhill, Mass. The musicians themselves were of an excellent caliber and very experienced, coming from a diverse New England garage & psych rock background. Harold Perino Jr. (a.k.a. "Marris") came from The Ones, a central Mass. garage band who also has a rare garage L.P. on the Ashwood House label. The other members were from Southern Maine. Garage rockers Gary Leavitt (lead vocals /guitar), his brother Jay Leavitt (drums), were in The Cobras together, Mark Mazzota from the psych-tinged Maine group Lazy Smoke, is outright dazzling on lead guitar. One of the coolest things about this album is the overall experience of it's group members various background influence on it. Pedigree aside, this is a powerful psychedelic heavy rock album that stands strong on it's own merit. There's a raw and ferocious Garage element mixed with a very
clear and real psychedelic conviction. These overshadowing characteristics combined with their new heavy/hard rock discipline & focus, resulted in one of the best heavy rock albums recorded in the U.S. The combined contributions of the groups various instrumental contributions are matched by their crystalline vocal input.Very much living up to the bands namesake, the guitar, bass, and drums on this record, in typical earth moving fashion, musically command the attention of the listener & level all resistance in their path.
Euclid was signed to Bob Theil's Flying Dutchman Records subsidiary label Amsterdam Records, distributed by Mainstream Records, and was one of the few, if not only, "Rock" releases on either label.
The album itself to this day stands as a perfect monument of that which musically represents the US transition from hard psych to hard rock. With it's in-your-face rumbling fuzzed out riffs, screaming solos, backwards bits, pounding drums, and oddly-effected vocals, the album, produced by the legendary Bobby Herne, with finishing touches to the mix by Les Paul Jr., stands proudly with one foot in the 60's and the other in the 70's, crafting their sound with a heavy metallic attitude.
Euclid were one of the overseen "unsung" cornerstones that helped pave the way for the up and coming U.S. FM heavy rock movement. Reissues do exist. But unfortunately only on CD.
Jim Haynes formed Freelove in the Bourmouth/Poole area on the South Coast of England in the late 60's. Freelove led to the forming of Elias Hulk with drummer Bernie James and original guitar player Grenville Frazier. Then came Pete Thorpe on vocals and Neil Tatum on guitar. Elias Hulk toured playing their own material playing venues such as Kools Kleek, The Granery (Bristol), and Eel Pie Island. They played the Manchester area as well as their home turf on the South Coast. The band cut their defining (and only) album Unchained on Young Blood records in 1970 that did particularly well in Germany.
Following a rockier path, Bernie and Jim left to form Elias with frontman Phil Clough. This was a strong energetic and driving three piece unit which produced electric live performances, but disbanded in 1971. They reformed recently in 2008, and began producing new material and continue to do so. You can check out their official website HERE
Richard Pinhas has been renowned as one of Frances most innovative guitarists and father of French electronic music. His work with Heldon ushered in a movement of experimentation that often drew in members of the philosophical community in a combination of electronics and spoken word. However before his work in Heldon, Pinhas formed Schizo, a project focused on heavy psychedelic guitar. The E.P. was reissued on Red Lounge with a third experimental track that alludes to his later work in Heldon. This definitely is the heaviest that Pinhas would ever get and a very interesting footnote in the history of French music.
One of the more obscure Krautrock bands, and even because their single eponymous album has reached legendary status, much of My Solid Ground's album is fairly hard rock. Bernhard Rendel, only 14 years old at the time, started My Solid Ground in 1968 in Russelheim, near Frankfurt Germany. Prior to this, his mother was supportive and encouraging to his interest in guitar, even though the music became louder and harder. The group began practicing at his parents house, who even helped arrange live performances. With their musical talent and elaborate light show, the band developed a following around Frankfurt. By 1970, after a few lineup changes, the group began recording and used the recordings to win second place in an amateur competition hosted by Sundwestfunk (SWF) radio.
In 1971 they recorded their self titled album, which was released by the Bacillus label later that year. In 1971 the group entered the studios for Sndwestfunk for a live broadcast, but were not allowed to play any music from the album due to contractual obligations, so they debuted new material. The group garnered National success but kept falling to lineup changes. They moved to
Frankfurt where they lasted until 1974 when Wendel dropped the band to persue academics. He is now a lecturer at the Muinz University and a producer and composer.
Proud Flesh was a rock band from the early Krautrock era. The band was formed in 1969 in the former diplomat's city of Bon-Bad Godesberg (Germany) and broke up in 1972. The group was made up of musicians of local bands Cool Stove, Desperados, and Hangmen Rats.
The bands repertiore consisted of their own songs, depending on the lineup, interpretations of Deep Purple, Spooky Tooth, Ten Years After, Elvis, Black Sabbath, Steppenwolf, Chicago, Free, Hendrix, Vanilla Fudge, Nice, et al.
Proud Flesh toured all over Germany, did gigs in Luxemourg, and were the supporting act for famous bands such as The Lords, The Rattles, Golden Earring, & Brian Auger and The Trinity.
After some pieces of soft rock at the start and melodic progressive rock songs later on the band became more and more hard rock like. From the final chord of Proud Flesh up till now, two songs have been included in productions of a more recent date. (CD/L.P.)
