Monthly Archives: May 2020

Randy Holden – Population II Album Review

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Randy Holden – Population II

Riding Easy Records

Release date: 28/02/2020

Running time: 32 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

 

First of all, an important note for all readers: Randy Holden is NOT the name of a winning hand in strip poker.  I used the phrase at a recent gathering at my Rock’n’Roll Naturist Society club, and nearly got a bunch of fives from Ozzy as a thank you.  Tommy Lee was up for it though, as you can probably imagine.

Anyway, Randy Holden is actually a guitar pioneer who served some time with proto-metal giants Blue Cheer, before splitting to take the helm of his own project.  Population II was the result – a far ahead of it’s time Big Bang of doom and sludge metal.

Originally receiving a limited release in 1969, this album has earned cult status with afficionados of early heavy rock.  And it’s no surprise why; “Population II” is a huge sounding, riff driven behemoth that sounds like it simply can’t have been created in that time period.

But it was.  The era that popular culture tells us was the age of peace and love also birthed this unholy slab of heavy noise.  Randy Holden, like his previous bandmates in Blue Cheer, was happily stomping all over flower power.

Of course, “Population II” is totally over the top.  “Guitar Song” is the first track, featuring the somewhat unimaginative opening line “I love the sound of a guitar playing” – so no marks for lyrical finesse.  If you’re after poetry, this probably ain’t for you.  Instead it’s six minutes of slow, heavy driving riff-based rock that sets the tone for the album.

 “Fruit Icebergs” is an outstanding name for any song; in fact, I might steal it for a band name.  Slow like cooling lava, with a doom-laden melancholic sound –  It’s dark in a Sabbath way.  Whereas the shorter “Between Time” picks up the pace a little and borrows a chorus from “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.

“Blue My Mind” is less gloomy, but certainly taps into the blues with a hint of Hendrix.  The final song, “Keeper of my Flame” is over 10 minutes of pulsating, repetitive riff wrestling that doesn’t out stay it’s welcome.  Ol’ Randy stretches for the epic here and pretty much nails it, strangling that guitar and taking the listener on a heroic journey.

Yet another history lesson for which we can thank the scholars at Riding Easy Records, Randy Holden’s “Population II” is back in circulation and worth taking time to investigate.  You’ll wonder how this was lost for so long.

Visit Riding Easy records on the interweb here.

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Don’t forget to visit Ever Metal – where this review first appeared  for all your rock and metal news.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #16

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Time to relax and enjoy more of the joys of vinyl!  Yes, it’s another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub, where I spend an evening playing through my stack of 7 inch records.  No skipping, no choosing anything out of order – just A then B side and make the most of it.

With the aid of some alcoholic beverages, of course!

In this edition, there’s another eclectic mix of songs from artists of various genres – including some absolute bangers.  Let’s go!

  1. Madness – “One Step Beyond” / “Mistakes”
  2. Bad Company – “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy” / ” Crazy Circles”
  3. Rick James – “Dance Wit Me (Part 1)” / “Dance Wit Me (Part 2)”
  4. INXS – “Taste It” / “Light the Planet”
  5. ZZ Top – “Legs” / “Bad Girl”
  6. Landscape – “Einstein A Go-Go” / “New Religion”
  7. Billy Idol – “Mony Mony” / “Shakin’ All Over (Live)”
  8. Fine Young Cannibals – “Johnny Come Home” / “Good Times and Bad”
  9. James Brown – “Living in America” / Vince DiCola – “Farewell”
  10. The Sweet – “Teenage Rampage” / “Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself”
  11. Sham 69 – “Hersham Boys” / “I Don’t Wanna” / “Tell us the Truth”
  12. Judas Priest – “Take On the World” / “Starbreaker”
  13. Stray Cats – “Rock This Town” / “You Can’t Hurry Love”
  14. Madam X – “High in High School” / “Metal in my Veins”
  15. Wings – “Live and Let Die” / “I Lie Around”
  16. The Beach Boys – “Do It Again” / “Wake the World”
  17. The Joan Collins Fan Club – “Leader of the Pack” / “Jacques”
  18. Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” / “Jack Rabbit” / “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again”
  19. Lee Marvin – “Wand’rin’ Star” / Clint Eastwood – “I Talk to the Trees”
  20. Suzi Quatro – “Can the Can” / “Ain’t You Somethin’ Honey”
  21. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – “Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” / “Jane B.”
  22. Bee Gees – “Tragedy” / “Until”

And there you have it!  A great collection of tunes and a fun night.  My favourite Bond theme, plus a load of class artists including The Beach Boys, Elton John, Billy Idol, Bad Company, Madness, James Brown and more.

No idea who Madam X are, that was a 20p find and I bought it on the strength of the cover.  Turned out to be dodgy 80s metal, unsurprisingly.  It was quite good.

Bonus points to any reader who can tell me: who was the Joan Collins Fan Club?

Stay tuned for more Singles Nights soon – I’ve still got a heck of a lot of vinyl to play through…

NB: The Fine Young Cannibals track was inside an Alarm sleeve.  I thought I’d picked up “Spirit of ’76” for 20p in a charity shop, but no such luck: it was FYC instead.  Such are the perils I encounter.  On a happy note though, the FYC tune was a belter.