RSSConsumer Guide by Review Date: 1970-06-18
1970-06-18
Blue Cheer: Blue Cheer (Phillips, 1969) There ought to be hundreds of groups like this one--hard, competent, slightly commercial--but there probably aren't more than 20. This is not especially original, but it's good, and I'll bet they're a stone happy gas live. B
The Aysley Dunbar Retaliation: To Mum, From Aynsley and the Boys (Blue Thumb, 1969) John Mayall produced this low-key English blues record, which works better for me than any of Mayall's highly-touted recent stuff. Recommended to fans of Mayall and of Fleetwood Mac, which it resembles. B-
Frummox: Here to There (Probe, 1970) Pretentious cowboy music? Yes, pretentious cowboy music. C-
John Hammond: Southern Fried (Atlantic, 1969) Another Col. Sanders special from the white Taj Mahal. The playing is very good and Hammond's taste in blues-based material original enough, but his vocal style demeans his mentors. Otiose. C
Juicy Lucy: Juicy Lucy (Atco, 1969) More English eclecticism in the new orthodox mold: eight vocally oriented cuts with a lot of inventive guitar and rhythm effects and excellent song selection. Listen to side two first. An A minus if the vocal mix weren't so muddy--I don't normally complain about such niceties, but on this lp the lack of clarity is noticable and annoying. B+