Like with Alpha Centauri, there's a lot of miscommunication regarding this band. If holding the album in your hands, it appears they're from Louisville, Kentucky. But it turns out they're from Indiana. Terre Haute in fact. For some reason we have some geniuses out there talking about being from the sweaty south shores of Lake Michigan, in the Chicago suburbs. They seem to be talking about Gary, not Terre Haute which sits west of Indianapolis on the Illinois border. These things matter when you realize the micro scenes of music operating in the Midwest during the 70s. One other key fact is this album was recorded in 1972, so it's pretty early in the game.
What is that game? Hard rock, that's what. Almost every review out there sings the praises of 'Dead Drunk Screamin'', and the rest isn't up to snuff. I was also familiar with this track from one of the Wayfarer Strangers comps on Numero. It's a great track, no question. But there's plenty more greatness here, most notably 'Silver Girl' which has a strong progressive rock quotient - and is my personal favorite. Both the opening 2 songs and the proggy 'The Apocalypse' are also excellent. So yes, the title track and the album closer drift towards boogie rock, so they can be skipped. They're also relatively short and nonconsequential. It appears this album was repackaged by a tax scam label in the 70s, and I'm beginning to wonder if 'Silver Girl' is even presented correctly. I see timings in the 3+ minute range, but the song on the original is easily 6 to 7 minutes. Lots of questions regarding this release. The only history of the band I know of is in the Numero booklet, but they didn't go into detail about the album. Really needs a quality reissue to set the record straight, so to speak. Don't listen to the naysayers, see if you can get a copy of the original - or at least a burn of it. Great early 70s hard rock here.
Ownership: LP: 1974 Bridges. Single sleeve. Recent buy from JL (2022). Paid more for this one (still under retail) but it was worth it. From what I'm reading all copies have a slight warp and other pressing defects. Mine is no exception though visually it's near mint.
10/19/22 (new entry)
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