(Reviews is taken from different sources)
Real heavy dudes with a mean attitude and some wicked guitar - above-par hard rock. A couple of tracks on their album were written by Larry West, formerly of the legendary Vagrants and younger brother of guitar colossus, Leslie 'Mountain' West. The album was produced by Shadow Morton, aka Shadow Mann. Mayo and Polott still play together in an outfit called Blue Lagoon.
Reissue of this highly collectable 1970 album from hard rock giants Haystacks B. Sounding (and looking) not unlike Mountain, this contains all the usual trademarks of the genre with long rippling guitar solos, Hammond widdly, knee trembling bass lines and all the usual mayhem. A welcome reissue.
This one came out around 1970, a one-off by a New York based band whose members weren't even listed on the LP jacket, and were never heard from again, so far as this writer knows. For some unknown reason the CD reissue has been retitled (original album was s/t) and given new artwork. The lineup, a five-piece is apparently one or two guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards (organ, piano, harpsichord), with at least two members sharing vocals. The material is split between more typical hard rock, with typical influences of the day (early Heep, Sabbath, Grand Funk and Mountain come to mind), acoustic ballads, and longer multi-part suites, the latter of which show some definite qualifications as early progressive rock. Even some theatrical Arthur Brown like stuff going on in "Auburn Queen", a lengthy track with a great instrumental section which closed side one of the original LP. "The Children of Heaven" is one of the shorter hard-rockers with an unusual chord progression and instrumental break featuring great organ and guitar solos with harpsichord backing. But it's the nine minute, four-part "Ode To The Silken Men" that shines the brightest of all. While this may not be a long lost prog classic, it certainly is a fine snapshot of one piece of the developing progressive scene.
The material is split between more typical hard rock, with typical influences of the day (early Heep, Sabbath, Grand Funk and Mountain come to mind), acoustic ballads, and longer multi-part suites, the latter of which show some definite qualifications as early progressive rock. Even some theatrical Arthur Brown like stuff going on in "Auburn Queen", a lengthy track with a great instrumental section which closed side one of the original LP. "The Children of Heaven" is one of the shorter hard-rockers with an unusual chord progression and instrumental break featuring great organ and guitar solos with harpsichord backing. But it's the nine minute, four-part "Ode To The Silken Men" that shines the brightest of all. While this may not be a long lost prog classic, it certainly is a fine snapshot of one piece of the developing progressive scene.
01.Spoiler
02.The Children of Heaven
03.Gasbag
04.Auburn Queen
05.Sticky Finger
06.Ode To The Silken Men (Tell Me A Story) (What Would Happen)
07.Riverland
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