MAX (Rodan) ~ USA ~ Los Angeles, California

Beyond Rodan (1970-1974 / 2024)

OK finally getting back on track here with some rarities. We have a beautiful new reissue to discuss today. I first had an opportunity to hear this uber rarity from top collector Heavy Rock way back in 2009. Here are my original notes:

Super horn rock album, that absolutely kills on most of the 12 short tracks. There are a couple of bluesy moves and at least one James Brown styled funker, but mostly this just rips from start to finish. The kind of album you wish all horn rockers were. Smoking guitar and great brass charts. The rhythm section never stops. California based group was actually known as MAX, and toured extensively with groups like Malo and Tower of Power. Album sports a fantastic drawing on the cover.

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Now the story becomes clear. The original album itself is a pirate edition. It's not conclusive if the album was a tax dodge deal like the Guinness or Tiger Lily labels, or just an ambitious insider looking to profit. As such the original album is a hodge-podge of different eras of the band which explains the sound variations throughout. Now with this definitive (and gorgeous I might add) 2xLP set, you can hear the trajectory of MAX, though it's mostly spread across evenly (excepting Side A). Horn rock remains the primary genre, but they were progressive too in the same way as The Greatest Show On Earth or Brainchild. Jazz rock and finally hard funk can also be found in these grooves. The energy level remains high throughout. Beyond Rodan is a pleasant album to listen to. Despite being a double, I found myself engaged through its entirety. In fact I played both discs three times each before filing away.

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After digesting the contents, I did have a couple of questions. I received an answer on the same day from founder David Cortopassi! Special thanks goes to Josh Cortopassi for the assistance.

1. There's a track on the original album called 'Pandora's Theme' that's not on this reissue. Was it just renamed or left off?

Scott Page had asked Joe Gottfried, owner of Sound City, to listen to the band rehearse (Scott's father, Bill Page, knew Joe Gottfried from playing with Lawrence Welk). Joe was impressed with MAX and offered to record us. First step was for me and Scott Williams to recorded several demos in order to decide what MAX would record at Sound City. Pandora's Theme was actually a piano solo I recorded at Sound City under the title "Of Aries For Scorpio". Other than that, I don't have a clue why it was renamed or even included on the bootlegged album. I had no input to the original Rodan album or the selection of songs on that album. As that cut didn't have horns, wasn't the same genre, and since time is limited on vinyl, it made sense to eliminate it.

2. There are five listed recording places in the liner notes. Do you happen to know the date of these - or at least the year? Even though the album was released in 1974, much of the music does sound more like 1970-71, which is consistent with the liner notes.

Quality differs from studio to studio and engineers have their own distinct sound or perception of what they record. My personal favorite recordings are those recorded at Sound City and Pacific Recorders. They capture what I consider that “classic” sound. In re-mastering them all, we did the best we could to closely reflect the album cuts as being recorded in a single studio.

I didn't keep track of the specific dates of the recordings, but the years by studio are as follows:
Sound City (1970 - 1971)
Pacific Recorders (1972)
Village Recorders (1973)
Columbia Records (1974)
ABC Dunhill (1974)

With that data in hand, here is your scorecard for when each track was recorded:

1970 - 1971: All of Side A; B2; B4; D3; C1
1972: B1; B3; D1; C5

1973: D4; C4

1974 (Columbia): D2; C3; C2

1974 (ABC Dunhill): D5

Ownership: 2024 Digital Cellars (2xLP) Gatefold. Liner notes inside the gate. They maintained the awesome artwork.

6/22/09 (review); 3/17/25 (update / new entry)