Kingston Wall. 1992 Finland

For those of you who remember, Kingston Wall were a real thing in the early 90s. I remember some of my like-minded catalog dealers hyping this one up big - and the music delivered on the promise. Kingston Wall ushered in a new generation of Finnish underground music focused on 60s and 70s psychedelic and progressive rock. They only released three albums in their lifetime before band leader and guitarist Petri Walli offed himself in 1995, seemingly at their height. What made Kingston Wall special was their ability to tap into exactly what Ozric Tentacles were doing to great success - ferocious psychedelic jamming. The songwriting isn't too bad, and there is a touch of grunge in their style. Not surprising given the era and they themselves were in a period of metamorphosis. In reality, Kingston Wall's debut belongs more to the heavy psych genre than progressive or space rock. The latter due to a lack of keyboards. The second half of the album points to the future of Kingston Wall, and is just one great song after another. A shot of caffeine if there ever was one. 

Ownership: CD: 1992 Trinity. Jewel case.

It's been reissued many times primarily due to Kingston Wall's enduring legacy - especially in Finland. But this original CD has held its value. There was a time in the middle 90s when this CD was going for top dollar (the RIP factor I'm sure plus a lack of available product). I wasn't selling mine then - and I'm not now. Svart reissued it as a double LP in 2014 in a multitude of vinyl colors if so desired.

1995 (first listen); 12/3/22 (new entry)