The
forthcoming latest edition of the popular compilation series of long-lost
vintage 60s-70s proto-metal and stoner rock singles, Brown Acid: The
Thirteenth Trip, is set for release on October 31st, 2021. The series is
curated by L.A. label RidingEasy Records and retailer/label Permanent
Records.
About Brown Acid: The Thirteenth Trip:
Lucky Thirteen! And, boy have we struck another pot of gold with this slab of
brilliant long-lost, rare, and unreleased hard rock, heavy psych, and
proto-metal tracks from the 60s-70s. The crate-digging mining expeditions
keeps on giving with more and more incredible discoveries every time we go
back for more. Like we’ve done throughout this series, all of these tracks
were painstakingly licensed legitimately and the artists were paid. Make
yourself comfortable and prepare for yet another deep, deep dive into the
treasure trove of dank, subterranean, wild-eyed and hairy rock ’n’ roll of
yesteryear.
Max, from Montreal, QC — originally known as Dawn, before Tony Orlando &
Dawn forced a name change — kick things off with “Run Run” from their lone
1970 single. It’s a hard-hitting rocker with scale climbing crunching guitars
and powerful Bonham-esque drumming. Sadly, the band didn’t last long due to
poor management and various other factors, so this is the only surviving
document according to guitarist Gerry Markman. And what a document it is,
paired with the A-side “The Flying Dutchman.”
You might remember Ralph Williams and the Wright Brothers from their track
“Never Again” on Brown Acid: The Tenth Trip. Here they make their return to
the series with the A-side of their 1972 Hour Glass Records 45, which sounds
like Blue Cheer mangling Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” (that’s right, several
years before Van Halen actually did so.) Alas, Ralph and these Wright
Brothers soon disappeared from terrestrial airspace.
“Feelin’ Dead” is extremely heavy blues from this also extremely rare 1974
single by Detroit, MI’s Master Danse, which was only released as a promo 45.
Think Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and you’re on the right
track. A little dose of Hendrix acid blues and a heartfelt groove, and you’ll
wonder why this single never even made it to official release. The
unavoidable tell in the lyric, “help me get this damn thing out of my arm”
hints at the post-Vietnam heroin epidemic as a potential clue why we never
heard more from Master Danse.
Folks, Gary Del Vecchio is “Buzzin’” hard on this one, and from what sounds
like an in-studio party of yelps and chatter at the start of the song, it
seems that the whole band was in on the festivities. The funky blues riff,
reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” and rollicking rhythmic changes
certainly keep the buzz a rollin’.The recording is technically credited as
Gary Del Vecchio with Max, though not the same band as the one that kicks off
this Trip.
John Kitko’s 1973 heavy psychedelic rager “Indecision” is the only recording
known to exist by the mysterious artist. The Twin Record Productions release
features a different artist, Tom Poff on the B-side, which is truly a shame,
considering the smoldering ashes Kitko leaves of the turntable by song’s end.
It starts out more like a late 60s Acid Rock jam before leaping into a
blazing double-time gallop, whipped into a frenzy by wailing, neck-pickup
guitar squeals and Kitko’s barely audible howls.
Tampa, FL’s Bacchus made their Brown Aa huge sounding swinging rocker replete
with roadhouse piano bolstering the chunky riffs and confident vocals. After
relocating to Southern California a few years later, the band morphed into
Fortress, an 80s melodic metal act whose Hands In The Till album of Pomp Rock
on Atlantic Records still draws chatter today.
Orchid’s “Go Big Red” is perhaps the most garage-y sounding offering here,
with loose rhythms and straightforward stop-and-start riffing. Nonetheless,
the stomping energy and fried-amp guitar tone make this one a charming skull
thwack. The band’s 1973 single on American records, backed with a cover of
Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison’s “Act Naturally” (popularized by Buck Owens
and the Buckaroos) is their only release, so the world never did see this
Orchid fully blossom.
By the title alone of Dry Ice’s “Don’t Munkey with the Funky Skunky” you know
you’re in for a good time. The 1974 barnstormer seems aimed to the novelty
tunes crowd, with its kooky lyrics and silly-voiced spoken catchphrase break,
“peeyew, you’ll be sorry if you do.” But, the Ohio band’s maniacal drumming,
crunching guitars and, of course, drug euphemistic lyrics make it a shoo-in
for the Brown Acid series of erudite rock’n’roll.
Good Humore’s swaggering 1976 rocker “Detroit” is a slick and smooth paen to
the Motor City. It most likely doesn’t predate “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss,
also released in 1976, and it has more rock’n’roll swing, but it could fit
comfortably alongside the era’s arena anthems. Not much else is known about
the one-off release on P.V. Records, but songwriter Mike Moats is noted to
also have been a recording engineer in later years and this well produced track
sounds like a labor of love.
About the Brown Acid series:
Some of the best thrills of the Internet music revolution is the ability to
find extremely rare music with great ease. But even with such vast archives
to draw from, quite a lot of great songs have gone undiscovered for nearly
half a century -- particularly in genres that lacked hifalutin arty pretense.
Previously, only the most extremely dedicated and passionate record
collectors had the stamina and prowess to hunt down long forgotten wonders in
dusty record bins -- often hoarding them in private collections, or selling
at ridiculous collector's prices. Legendary compilations like Nuggets,
Pebbles, ad nauseum, have exhausted the mines of early garage rock and
proto-punk, keeping alive a large cross-section of underground ephemera.
However, few have delved into and expertly archived the wealth of
proto-metal, pre-stoner rock tracks collected on Brown Acid.
Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records and Permanent Records
Roadhouse has shown incredible persistence in tracking down a stellar
collection of rare singles from the 60s and 70s for the growing compilation
series. Partnered with Daniel Hall of RidingEasy Records, the two have
assembled a selection of songs that's hard to believe have remained unheard
for so long.
"I essentially go through hell and high water just to find these
records," Barresi says. "Once I find a record worthy of tracking, I
begin the (sometimes) extremely arduous process of contacting the band
members and encouraging them to take part. Daniel and I agree that licensing
all the tracks we're using for Brown Acid is best for everyone
involved," rather than simply bootlegging the tracks. When all of the
bands and labels haven't existed for 30-40 years or more, tracking down the
creators gives all of these tunes a real second chance at success.
"There's a long list of songs that we'd love to include," Barresi
says. "But we just can't track the bands down. I like the idea
that Brown Acid is getting so much attention, so people might reach
out to us."
Brown Acid: The Thirteenth Trip will be available everywhere on LP, CD and
download on October 31, 2021 via RidingEasy Records.
https://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/
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