Rock. Hard.

Is this my version of a hot red sports car? Ever since I retired from the Loud Family after our last tour in 2000, I find that I just can’t get enough of old school Hard Rock. Could this be a way to deal with a mid-life crisis? Maybe. But I’m lovin’ it and while I had many of these records when they came out, I have been going back and either rediscovering bands I wasn’t into at the time, or discovering bands that passed me by.

I was very surprised that out of the 8 tracks (how appropriate! 8 - track !) I’m offering here, ½ are from 1970. I was 14 years old then and while I do indeed remember getting some of these records that long ago, I think I must have acquired most of them a couple of years later. Some of them I got recently - in the last 5 years or so.

Fire up your Bic and shake your hair (if you still got it) - It’s time to Rock. Hard.

1. Blue Cheer - “Come And Get It” from the LP Outsideinside released in 1968. Forget about flower power for now - this stuff is scary and aggressive. I can’t think of any other band from that era that assaulted my eardrums as much as these guys. And this track is from their more...refined 2nd album! According to the hype, much of this record was recorded outside in Sausalito Ca. just because they were so loud! Whatever, but this song kicks hippie butt. I specifically remember my dad taking me to Eckerd Drugs in Charlotte and letting me pick out a record. I picked this one, probably due to the album artwork more than anything else, but I still love it very much. Wonder if Kurt Cobain was a fan?

2. Bubble Puppy - “Lonely” from the LP A Gathering Of Promises and also released as the b-side to their awesome single "Hot Smoke And Sassafras" in 1969. I love the single and heard it on the radio quite a bit back in the day (funny - Jamie Hoover loved it too, and we tried our best to cover it in the Happy Eggs in the early 80's, but couldn’t quite make it work in a New Wave/Punk context!). Anyway - while "Lonely" doesn’t really start out so hard, hang with it until the end to hear an absolutely mind blowing lead break. I actually saw these guys on American Bandstand!

3.Cactus - “Parchman Farm” from he LP Cactus released in 1970. This is a band that I rediscovered in the last 5 years or so. I saw them open up for Mountain (?) At Charlotte’s Park Center, but wasn’t much interested in them at the time. The rhythm section is Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass) from the Vanilla Fudge. Could be the deadliest freight train of bass and drums on this planet. It’s interesting that they chose to do this Mose Alison tune 1 year after Blue Cheer recorded it for their debut album Vincebus Eruptum ! Serious smoke is blistering from my poor little computer speakers as I write this!

4. Mountain - “Never In My Life” from the LP Climbing! Released in 1970. Most folks are well aware of "Mississippi Queen", so I chose this song. Classic Hard Rock with their trademark cowbell once again propelling the crunch you hear. What drew me to this band was the involvement of Felix Pappalardi (producer, “musical director” and bass player). I knew of him from Cream. He produced all but one (Fresh Cream) of their LP’s. He sings a beautiful version of "Theme From An Imaginary Western" that is one of my very favorite songs written by Jack Bruce. This is a very solid album. (I’m still kicking myself for not attending a Mountain reunion show in San Francisco about a year ago! Jamie and Mitch Easter both highly recommended that I go, but...I didn’t...sigh..) Mr. Pappalardi was tragically murdered by his wife many years ago, but from what I've heard, Leslie West and Corky Laing (drums) are still gettin’ it done in a grand way.

5. Frijid Pink - “End Of The Line” from the LP Frijid Pink released in 1970. This is probably the newest discovery for me. I remember they had a pretty decent hit (#7 on Billboard) with their cover of "House Of The Rising Son" that year, but I never heard anything else by them until I got a reissue of their debut album about a year ago. The album isn’t all that good - some of the worst production and engineering I’ve ever heard, but they were from Detroit - the city that brought us The Stooges and MC5!

6. Wishbone Ash - “Queen Of Torture” from the LP Wishbone Ash released in 1970. Another recent discovery - I’m not sure I ever even heard this band until I got a greatest hits CD a couple of years ago. I knew of them, but we never crossed paths. Nice "Manic Depression" style beat, and plenty of dueling guitars that for better or for worse, would become a standard sound for many styles of Rock including Metal and Southern Rock.. I like the vocals a lot and this song moves.

7. Uriah Heep - “Love Machine” from the LP Look At Yourself released in 1971. Not sure why, but when I listen to these guys, I sort of chuckle. While they sometimes come off goofy to me (mainly due to the vocals), good heavens were they influential! They really helped set he standard for the Heavy Metal that was to come. Regardless, I think their first 3 or 4 albums are pretty great. Mindless boogie, but done well. I remember seeing them on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and was highly amused when the singer fell backwards against the drum riser and got his shirt caught on one of the tuning pegs on the kick drum. He couldn’t get up, so he finished the song sitting on he riser. Oh...so...Spinal Tap!

8. Pat Travers And Carmine Appice - “Evil” from the LP Bazooka released in 2005. Ok, this is definitely the ringer of the bunch, being such a recent recording, but I think this version could rock harder than any rock song I have ever heard. Seriously. On point - it is a cover of a cover recorded on the first Cactus LP of a song written by the fabulous Howlin’ Wolf. The guitar shreds and this is a mind blowing drum track by Mr. Appice. Nothing but power here, and while I don’t have my red sports car yet, this will do just fine.

Here are the songs - I hope you dig 'em!
A Place of Hard Rock Muxtape


Thanks for listening....but if none of this music blows your skirt up, there's always these guys: (Thanks to my pal Dan for turning me on to this incredible video!)