Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Cactus "Cactus" 1970

The legendary Cactus. Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge, Jim McCarty from the Detroit Wheels, and Rusty Day who sang in the Amboy Dukes. This much hyped band deserves a whole lot of that hype, but I wanted to give my own reviews of Cactus' albums so that the uninitiated listener doesn't pick this up expecting wall-to-wall heavy Sabbath style riffage, only to be disappointed and give up on them altogether.
Cactus was formed by Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice after leaving Vanilla Fudge (check out the Boomerang review to see what became of another Fudge member). The plan was to have Jeff Beck play guitar with Cactus, but a car crash intervened, sidelining Beck and opening a slot for Jim McCarty (Beck did hook up with Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice in 1973 after the demise of Cactus to record Beck, Bogert & Appice, which among other gems has an insanely cool version of Superstition- which, btw, I heard Jeff Beck had a hand in writing with Stevie Wonder-if anyone knows the real story there let me know).

Cactus' self titled debut was released in 1970 and was a loud and boisterous American response to the heaviness that had come across the pond from Sabbath's first 2, Zep's first 2, Deep Purple In Rock, etc. This album, while lacking in the crushing riffage and gothic darkness of Sabbath, is a bold and vital piece of the emerging hard rock and metal to come. Most of the songs are heavy electrified boogie, but with Marshalls cranked to 11 and turbocharged beyond the confines of rhythm and blues. Starting out with a blazing, careening take on Parchman Farm (which many will remember was fuzzified not so long prior by the acid drenched Blue Cheer) we see immediately where this ride is headed; we see what, ultimately, is my favorite thing about Cactus: the balls-to-the-wall, no turning back, always on the edge of destruction approach. These guys are doing 120 mph in their '68 Shelby Mustang,headed for a cliff, Rusty's riding on the hood, Carmine's hangin' out the window, the wheels are starting to come off, and they don't care! Floor it, man!

After Parchman Farm they do slow it down though with My Lady From South of Detroit , which is an acoustic ballad. Things start to pick up again with the twangy somewhat goofy blues of Bro. Bill. They get back up to cruising speed with the Willie Dixon tune You Can't Judge a Book. It's a little deceptive in the beginning with the acoustic guitar on the first verse and lots of harmonica, but it is soon full on vintage Cactus - blistering Jim McCarty guitar over the maelstrom that swirls underneath created by Bogert and Appice. Let Me Swim is a boogie rocker with a good share of riffage and a smokin' vamp at the end. Oleo is another heavy boogie with a bit too much white boy harmonica, but rocking hard enough to make it not matter. Feel So Good is maybe the most full on riff-based and forward thinking rock song on the album, despite the obligatory 70's drum solo. No Need to Worry is a bit of a disappointment for me. It's a straightforward slow blues, which has the potential for greatness(think of Johnny Winter's Tribute to Muddy or Taste's Catfish Blues or Hendrix Hear My Train a Comin'), but this stays just that, a slow blues and fails to rise above that, unlike the other examples just mentioned. Don't get me wrong, it is still a well done blues song, but it doesn't make the cut when I'm making a compilation of Cactus tunes.

Even though it feels like these guys were simply out of control, hard partying, acid heads, this is the first formative statement from a first rate band of great musicians that knew how to push it to the very edge and still keep retain control like few others could. The next two albums, One Way or Another and Restrictions were still heavy on the blues, but with more riffing mixed into the fray.

Riff Density 6
Riff Caliber 8
Post Blues Factor 4
Groove Factor 10
Dig It 7

Monday, February 9, 2009

Randy Holden "Population II" 1970



Randy Holden is one of the great unsung guitar heroes of Rock. A true devotee of the guitar, to him it was all about the music. He spent the first part of the 60's playing in surf band Fender IV and 60's psychedelic bands Sons of Adam and The Other Half. His most high profile gig was replacing Leigh Stephens on guitar in the legendary Blue Cheer. He played with Blue Cheer for roughly a year, although he only recorded on half of their severely disappointing 3rd album "New! Improved! Blue Cheer" before quitting the band. It seems he decided to leave the band partly because he was getting screwed by the label and/or management and partly because the rest of the band was more interested in serious partying than creating music together. The "New! Improved!" album clearly shows a lack of the musical fire and direction that made the first to albums, Vincebus Eruptum and Outsideinside, rock and roll classics. The lone exception being Randy's composition Fruit and Icebergs , which he re-did on Population II to devastating effect.
Leaving Blue Cheer in 1969, Randy ventured out on his own. Armed with 20 new Sunn amps and drummer Chris Lockheed, he rented an opera house and recorded the underground heavy rock classic Population II. This is a dark, heavy, brooding record that was ahead of it's time conceptually. This is proto doom metal with lots of overdubbed guitar parts. Mostly slow Sabbathy dark rock full of Randy's tasteful, gutsy yet restrained lead guitar. This record is all about the guitar. The guitars are up front in the mix over the drums and the vocals, but not so much that it ruins the record. Randy's got a great tough mid-rangey tone with his wall of Sunn amps and the mix is kind of cool because it feels like you're straining to hear his tortured vocals over the Guitar-zilla that is destroying history right in front of us. In fact the first song is entitled, what else but Guitar Song. Kicking the record off with a series of slow stoned guitar breaks, the first lyrics we hear are "I love the sound of a guitar playin'." Right on Randy! This song sets the tone for the album: Randy's vaguely Hendrix-like half spoken vocals, heavy duty rhythm guitar riffage and swaggering, wobbly, sustain-to-infinty soloing. The vocals definitely just serve as an excuse for rocking. The second song is the aformentioned "Fruit and Icebergs", an evil Sabbathy tritone-blues dirge complete with a spacey theremin-esque whammy bar guitar. Sandwiched between Fruit and Icebergs Parts 1 and 2 is Between Time which is probably the most accessible song on the record. It's a straight ahead rocker that picks up the pace a little.... just a little. It's only flaw is that it's way too short. Nebula did a genius cover of this song on their To the Center album. Then the Fruit and Icebergs monster from space is back for a brief violent reprise that leads us to the 2 final and best songs of the whole trip. Blue My Mind fades in with guitar chaos that you later find out was lifted from the end of the song and then goes into some serious lower mid tempo rock. Killer arena sized guitar fills and soloing on this one with the usual minimal lyrical content, build up to the chaotic multiple lead guitar ending. The album closer, Keeper of My Flame, has probably the fastest tempo of the whole album (which still is just a driving medium tempo). Tribal tom tom/bluesy war cry-guitar, heavy riffing verse and chorus lead up to a breakdown where the guitar solo starts. Just when it's about to really start rocking everything stops...another tribal war cry, then the kicking of the ass by guitar ensues over a Tales of Brave Ulysses groove that goes on for several minutes. Then when you think it's over out comes a half time, yes half time, version of the verse riff for more Sunn pyrotechnics. Sadly, the record label at the time failed to grasp the vision of the record and refused to release it. Then Randy's equipment manager joined in the screwing and sold off his gear and left Randy guitarless and bankrupt. For the romantic rock and roll idealist that he was, this was too much and he disappeared from the music world until the 90's. Somehow bootleg copies of the album were released, which is how it's underground cult status has spread. Hopefully at this point Randy is getting his due. I've heard people say they don't like this album because it's "too simple" or boring. Maybe to some. The riffs are not really complex and the tempos are all on the slow side, so it can seem kind of rudimentary, but there is no denying the high rocking factor here. The riffs kill (and are much heavier and forward-thinking than a lot of other stuff in 1969) and the soloing, while not full of lightning fast runs, is gutsy, well-hung arena rock guitar playing full of genius licks that you wish you had thought of. Compare this with Fruit and Icebergs from "New!Improved!" and you see that this is miles ahead. Much heavier guitar sound, more mature playing. Population II is firmly planted in the 70's, leaving behind the 60's, unafraid to be heavy throughout; without the need to try and make something work in the pop world. No need for the lightweight major key chorus or song. This probably why the record company shelved it. Where's the single? In an interview with Randy Holden that I read, he said in 1990 he listened to Population II for the first time since doing it and said "It's almost like quicksand, in a sense. It pulls you into it....but it's difficult to get back out." So true. It's great intriguing piece of work that really is unlike anything else. It's a tough album to find but well worth it. Check out a song at the Randy Holden myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/randyholdenpopulation.

Riff Density 8
Riff Caliber 8
Post Blues Factor 10
Groove Factor 7
Dig It 8