Chillum is basically the third Second Hand album - and is in reality - a series of loose instrumental jams while auditioning for a new guitarist. Urged on by a French industry friend, the band was encouraged to release the tapes as a mysterious underground group. And thus the legend of Chillum began. So while conservatory compositional awards are out of the question, the album does work well within a 1971 English underground context. The epoch's instrumentation, production styles, and attitude are in abundance here. Good period piece that delivers exactly what it promises.
Ownership: CD: 2010 Sunbeam. Jewel case. Contains a fresh new set of historical liners, unique photos, and another group of bonus tracks - some overlap with the See For Miles reissue, and others are unique to this release.
My first copy was a cheap 80s bootleg LP, before upgrading to the See For Miles CD. This version contains fine liner notes and extra bonus tracks. A few years ago I decided to purge it and subsequently reacquired the album via the Sunbeam issue.
1994 (first listen); 1996; 2008; 5/8/14 (review / new entry)
