Whiplash - Getting to Know Us. 1980 USA

Whiplash were a band from Santa Rosa, California, and whose one album is a real head scratcher. Not too many albums open up with a 9 minute soft rock ballad! 'Crossroads' picks up things considerably with a mix of fusion, southern rock, even blues. It's here that the predominant instrument reveals itself: Violin. There's also plenty of nice guitar and piano solos. 'Rock n' Roll Me Till I Die' continues with a bit more hard rock and a little boogie. There's some very odd synthesizer work as well throughout the album. The tracks are very lengthy, but Whiplash doesn't do much with the extended time other than noodle. And the songs themselves are rather dull, with flat singing.

This gets us to Side 2 which is... all instrumental! Like I said, a strange album. From here on out, it's essentially a fusion album with occasional violin, guitar, synthesizer, and drum solos. There's a pervasive Appalachian/Southern feel, recalling a band like Fred for example. Completely unexpected given their Wine Country backdrop. The first two parts of 'Fugitive' are good for certain, but could use a bit more spark. The last portion of this track and 'Tutti Frutti' are finally where Whiplash lives somewhat up to their name, and gives us a glimpse into what I suspect is a Mahavishnu Orchestra fetish.

Overall a typical late 70s / early 80s mixed bag, in which the band wasn't sure who their audience was to be, so they hedged their bet and threw everything out there. A more focused effort would have yielded a better result.

No reissues exist.