Tag Archives: psychedelic rock

Brant Bjork – Album Review

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Brant Bjork – Bougainvillea Suite

Heavy Psych Sounds

Release date: 28/10/2022

Running time: 42 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

Brant Bjork must be a very busy boy at the moment.  We’ve already had an album out earlier this year from his desert rock supergroup, Stoner, and now here’s a solo effort too.  He’s a multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist singer song writer and no mistake, offering up sonic expeditions of varying styles and pace.  Most of all, though, Brant seems to be a decent bloke who’d be ideal company for a beer or three.

For “Bougainvillea Suite”, we’re in a more laid back, but still rockin’ mode.  The album is like a combination of Santana and Steppenwolf, full of relaxed but vital summer vibes.  ‘Trip on the Wine’, our first song, has a similar stomp to The Door’s ‘Five to One’, but less angsty.  The late 60s-early 70’s groove is maintained throughout, ‘So They Say’ embellished with a sweet, melodic construction and ‘Broke That Spell’ having an early Purple raunch.

Stoner band mate Ryan Gut adds percussion and keys, whilst the final member of that trio, Nick Oliveri, pops up on ‘Bread for Butter’.  This track and ‘Ya Dig’ are two of the more direct, heads-down rockers, whilst the extended blues jam of ‘Who Do You Love’ is trippy territory augmented with some almost Stooges-like lead guitar.  This last track is a real highlight, it’s like a long-forgotten experiment involving all of the bands I’ve mentioned!

And that’s it: eight songs that whilst not easy listening, can be mellow, psychedelic and still rock your bones.  “Bougainvillea Suite” would make perfect summer evening listening, a beer and a BBQ as the clear sky fades to black, good times with good friends after a long day shredding a pool.  But it’s been released in late Autumn, so what do I know?  Just buy it and enjoy.

Find Brant Bjork on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify and on a website here.

More info on Heavy Psych Sounds here, plus Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp.

This review has been proudly presented by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

Trouble: The Distortion Field – album review

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Trouble – The Distortion Field

Hammerheart Records

Release date: 14/10/2022

Running time: 63 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

More Trouble!  Another welcome re-issue from Trouble’s back catalogue courtesy of Hammerheart records, here we have their 2013 album “The Distortion Field”, back in circulation.  This was the last studio effort the band have released (at this time) – and with vocalist Eric Wagner (RIP) absent, replaced by Kyle Thomas (of Exhorder and Alabama Thunderpussy). 

Sure enough, things get off to a solid start with a thunderous ‘When the Sky Comes Down’ and ‘Paranoia Conspiracy’, both reliably Trouble-some rockers.  The album really picks up a gear or three with ‘The Broken Have Spoken’, a lumbering riff juggernaut that reminded me of Pantera.  Then there’s ‘Sink or Swim’, a mighty, pacey mountain shaker with a chorus hook so big it could reel in a Kraken.

There’s little of the psychedelic, hippy journeys found on the Def American albums.  Instead, there’s the almost ballad ‘Have I Told You’, which haunts like vintage Alice in Chains.  The quality only dips with ‘Glass of Lies’, which is a little too barroom boogie for me – though the last section of the song thankfully reverts to a funereal doom speed.

For the most part though, songs like ‘Hunters of Doom’ deliver exactly the kind of chugging riffology that the listener would expect.  ‘Butterflies’ illustrates Trouble’s doom strategy perfectly again – slow, heavy crunch with another almighty chorus. 

Add in the bonus track ‘The Apple from the Snake’ and this is prime Trouble.  Newcomers may want to start with something from the band’s earlier work, but a re-issue of “The Distortion Field” is fantastic news for fans.  Add this record to your collection and keep your fingers crossed for something new in the near future.

My mate Keith Moon was a trouble maker who needed no introduction – blowing up toilets, scrappy food fights and driving limousines into swimming pools.  He was good as gold round at his old mum’s house, though.  I went there once with Keith, and it was all very pleasant.  Cup of tea, slice of cake, lovely conversation with Mrs Moon.  Very down to earth.  Until I got home later that is, and spent the entire evening on the loo.  Moony told me later that his mum – another practical joker – had laced my food with laxatives.  Very bloody funny.

Check out the Trouble website, or find them on Facebook and Bandcamp.

This review has been brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #30

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Boo-ya! It’s the thirtieth instalment of the ever popular Singles Night, where yours truly plays through a big ol’ stack of 45 rpm singles. It’s all vinyl, all the time folks, as I dig into the never ending pile of 7 inch wax.

Let’s take a look at he latest batch:

  1. The Four Horsemen – “Nobody Said It Was Easy” / “Homesick Blues”
  2. Van Halen – “When It’s Love” / “A Apolitical Blues”
  3. Ramones – “Baby, I Love You” / “High Risk Insurance”
  4. Chesney Hawkes – “The One and Only” / “It’s Gonna Be Tough”
  5. Brenda Lee – “Break It To Me Gently” / “So Deep” / “Tragedy” / “Will you Love Me Tomorrow”
  6. Lulu – “Boom Bang-a-Lang” / “March!”
  7. Rubettes – “Kid Runaway” / “Southbound Train”
  8. Neal Hefti – “Batman Theme” / “Holy Diploma, Batman – Straight A’s!”
  9. Charles Aznavour – “She” / “La Barraka”
  10. Bobby Goldsboro – “A Butterfly for Bucky” / “Another Night Alone”
  11. Phil Collins – “If Leaving Me is Easy” / “Drawingboard”
  12. Phil Collins – “Another Day in Paradise” / “Heat on the Street”
  13. Hawkwind – “Angels of Death” / “Trans-Dimensional Man”
  14. Van Halen – “Runnin’ with the Devil” / “D.O.A.”
  15. Perry Como – “My Days of Loving You” / “Happiness Comes, Happiness Goes”
  16. Alice Cooper – “Elected” / “Luney Tune”
  17. Judge Dread – “Big Seven” / “Dread”
  18. Golden Earring – “Radar Love” / “The Song is Over”
  19. Herb Alpert – “This Guy’s in Love With You” / “A Quiet Tear (Lagrima Quieta)”
  20. Shakin’ Stevens – “A Love Worth Waiting For” / “As Long As”

Well that box of singles I got for £5 is still stinking up the list a bit, hence the double Phil Collinson offer this time. At least double Van Halen more than compensates for that. Incidentally, I owned the “When It’s Love” single when I was a kid, bought it from Woolwroths in Shotton when it was released. This copy is a replacement, as my original was swopped a long time ago.

The Batman theme is quite possibly the best TV theme of all time, so glad I have that in the collection. Also, some genuine classics from Ramones, Hawkwind, Alice Cooper and Golden Earring made this one of the best sessions yet. And The Four Horsemen are great, though long forgotten band.

As I mentioned, the pile of 7 inch records never seems to dwindle, so there’ll be another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub soon. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Trouble – Live in Stockholm Album Review

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Trouble – Live in Stockholm

Hammerheart Records

Release date: 02/09/2022

Running time: 77 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8/10

Stockholm, Sweden: sometime in the early 1990s.  At this point in their career, legendary doom metal instigators Trouble were signed to Def American records and starting to shift a few extra units.  The Chicago band were invited to play in Sweden by fellow pioneers Candlemass, and it’s this gig that provides the music for this double LP live extravaganza.

The release covers the never before available, complete set from that evening.  Fully remastered by Erwin Hermsen at Toneshed Studio , it’s now unleashed as a double album on seductive, alluring vinyl.    

Track wise, the PR blurb casts this as a “greatest hits” set, and rightly so.  Of course, there’s a healthy selection from the Def American albums, such as a blistering ’Come Touch the Sky’, the brilliant ‘Memory’s Garden’ and a crushing ‘End of My Days’.  Older tracks also get a fair showcase too, with ‘Psalm 9’ and ‘The Skull’, amongst others, proving how this band achieved their legendary status.

So, this live collection is a great overview of Trouble’s music at this point int time.  What’s also encouraging is that the sound really is impressive, the remastering has done a fine job of polishing these tracks.  Unlike many live offerings, this album has a reassuringly clear – yet still live and raw – finish.  ‘The Misery Shows (Act II) is a great example – the mellower parts shimmer, though the crunch is still present when needed.

“Live in Stockholm” is indeed a good place to dive in for anyone who wants to sample Trouble’s catalogue.  For the long-term fans, the performance and sound both offer a worthwhile addition to the collection.  Personally, there’s nothing new, song wise, here for me – so I really can’t mark this release any higher – but a solid release nonetheless.

You might think that characters like Ozzy, Tommy Lee or Lemmy would’ve been terrible for getting me in trouble in the past, but they were all sweethearts really.  The person who got me in more trouble with crazy antics than anyone was actually, believe it or not, new wave pop princess Belinda Carlisle. She was a total deviant.  Scary.  I can’t tell you any more because she still thinks I died of an overdose in a Tijuana brothel in 1985.  And quite frankly, I’m scared of her.

Please check out Trouble’s website, their Facebook and Bandcamp – buy their stuff and make them famous.

This review has been brought to you by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

All Souls/Fatso Jetson – Album Review

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All Souls/Fatso Jetson – Live from Total Annihilation

Ripple Music

Release date: 19/08/2022

Running time: TBC

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

Well, bloody flipping heck – this is pretty good, innit?  A split album, recorded during the pandemic in L.A.’s Total Annihilation Studios, light on the production and heavy on the creative purpose.  We have, for your enjoyment, a collection of songs from alt rockers All Souls and desert rock pioneers Fatso Jetson.

All Souls deliver five songs here (that’s all of Side A to the connoisseur), all of which offer a dark yet epic character.  ‘Who Holds the Answer’ is a mid-tempo, infectious rocker and ‘You Can’t Win’ has a melancholy start that grows into a moody, Spaghetti Western tinged piece.  The American Gothic vibe is showcased further on ‘Winds’, again utilising a sparse, melodic approach to generate a cinematic soundscape.  The final two tracks, ‘Sentimental Rehash’ and ‘Timebomb’ are both faster paced and more abrasive, with robot like, post punk riffs – but both still have menace.

Side B belongs to Fatso Jetson, and their first song ‘Drifting off to Storybook Deth’ is my personal favourite of this entire recording.  It welds the gloomy heaviness of the Melvins with the atmosphere of classic Soundgarden into an ominous monster of a track.  ‘Monoxide Dreams’ takes a hypnotic trip off into a windswept, barren horizon.  The repetitive, mesmeric ‘Dream Homes’ is a robot riff instrumental like Sabbath jamming Devo tunes, whilst ‘Long Deep Breaths’, the final track, is an exploration of dark psychedelia.            

Further proving that “desert rock” has more than one style, both of the bands here are adept at taking that expected template and weaving other influences and ideas into their songs.  Both dark and beautiful, All Souls and Fatso Jetson’s efforts are all fascinating.  “Live from Total Annihilation” is ideal music for watching the sun fade and the night creep in.

Have a gander at Fatso Jetson on their various web presences: Facebook, Bandcamp, Instagram and Spotify.

All Souls also have webby business on Facebook, Bandcamp, Instagram and Spotify.

This review is presented to you by Platinum Al in cooperation with Ever Metal. Go and check out Ever Metal now!

Nebula – Album Review

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Nebula – Transmissions from Mothership Earth

Heavy Pysch Sounds Records

Release date: 22.07.2022

Running time: 39 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

As I write this, we’re sweltering in a record-breaking heatwave.  North Wales, which is where I’m based – and also where the nerve centre of Ever Metal can be found – has had some of the highest temperatures in the whole of the UK.  It’s crazy.  And so, a new album from desert rock titans Nebula seems extremely apt right now.  “Transmissions from Mother Ship Earth” has arrived at exactly the right time.

And it arrives with a welcome burst of fuzz drenched psych rock, exactly as expected, in first track, ‘Highwired’.  Big fat riff, dashes of space rock and a whiff of herbal cigarettes: classic Nebula, really.  Up next is the title track, which adds some nice, sixties secret agent vibes to the melting pot, together with a punishingly heavy section.

‘Wilted Flowers’ begins with a mellow guitar section before exploding into a thunderous head tripper.  There’s a feel of Mudhoney and the Stooges with Nebula’s best work, as evidenced here and with ‘Melt Your Head’.  Other tracks like ‘Warzone Speedwulf’ and “The Four Horseman’ sound like early Monster Magnet dripped in acid fried Steppenwolf and left to dry in a Tarantino desert landscape.    

No surprises then with this latest Nebula release, and with titles like ‘I Got So High’ you can guess exactly what to expect.  But who cares?  “Transmissions from Mothership Earth” is a solid album of pounding rhythms and spaced-out fuzz rock.  It’s bound to make my end of year best of list, and right now it’s the perfect soundtrack for summer.  Enjoy, fellow explorers – it’s gonna piss it down with rain tomorrow.

Talking about nebula and space and galaxies and all that, did I tell you about the great telescope trick we played on Bill Ward once?  It was at Brian May’s house, and he’s well into all that astrology business.  Bri’s got this huge telescope for star gazing.  So Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and me persuaded Bill to take a look.  What he didn’t know was that Brian had put black paint inside the lens, so Bill ended up with a great big, black monocle on his face.  Bill didn’t realise, and walked round like that all night – extremely paranoid as to why all the guests were laughing at him.  Great fun!

You can find Nebula on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Check out Heavy Psych Records online and on Bandcamp.

This review is a Platinum Al and Ever Metal joint presentation.

Brown Acid: The Fourteenth Trip – Album Review

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Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Fourteenth Trip

RidingEasy Records

Release date: 20/04/2022

Running time: 34 minutes (approx.)

Review by: Alun Jones

7.5/10

Well, that’s it, it’s over – I thought to myself on first perusing this latest entry in the Brown Acid series.  The well has finally run dry.  The RidingEasy Records archaeologists have eventually reached the end of their previously rich vein of rare, obscure and undiscovered proto-metal and vintage hard rock.  How had I arrived at this conclusion?  There are only eight songs, compared to the usual ten; with a running time of just 26 minutes. 

Then I realised that the final track, an 8-minute-long number by a band called Raven, was missing from the press review download I had.  So that extra track would even things out nicely, with a decent longer running time.  Though I wouldn’t be able to review every song, at least the existential crisis of NO MORE ROCK had been avoided!

Volume 14 starts of with the great ‘Fever Games’ by The Legends: it’s a rampant, rollicking late 60’s ode to Blue Cheer, Hendrix and Cream.  Despite aping Jimi a little too closely, this song is a lively opener.  Next up is Mijal & White with ‘I’ve Been You’.  This track sounds like the Monkees cutting a particularly noisy song by The Who, which should encourage you to definitely give it a whirl on your gramophone. 

I don’t know who Henry is, but thanks to the chunky blues rock of Liquid Blue, I know that ‘Henry Can’t Drive’.  This is a more traditional heavy rock number, and as an album highlight it keeps the engine speeding along on a straight track.  There’s a fast rock’n’roll MC5 vibe to ‘Signs’ by San Francisco Trolly Co. This energetic song is followed by Blue Creed’s ‘Need a Friend’, a raw and rough brawler.  It’s a contrast to ‘Play It Cool’ by Transfer, which reminds me of a revved-up surf track. 

‘You’re Not the Only Girl (I’m Out to Get)’ by Appletree finally ushers in some much-needed cowbell.  Reminiscent of Grand Funk Railroad and – gasp – even early Kiss, it’s another quality highlight.  Ideal for playing in an old, rusty’n’trusty Camaro.

Cox’s Army gives us another Hendrix inspired number with ‘I’m Tired’, which bops along in a true groovy manner.  And that, for me, is my last track on my version of “Brown Acid: The Fourteenth Trip”, though as mentioned above, there is another song called

Check out RidingEasy Records at various site webs, such as their own, Bandcamp, Facebooks, Twidder, ChewTube and Insta.

This review was presented to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Trouble – Album Review

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Trouble – One for the Road/Unplugged

Hammerheart Records

Release date: 11/02/2022

Running time: 67 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

The mighty Trouble!  A release from these titans of doom metal is always worth celebration, and this is no exception.  Back in the early 90s, this cult band were verged on the edge of a mainstream breakthrough, with two albums on the Rick Rubin helmed Def American Records (also home to Slayer, Danzig, Black Crowes and others).  Alas, it was not to be: this eternal underground favourite was to remain just that. 

“One for the Road” followed the second, self-titled Def American album, as a limited-edition European tour EP.  This re-release bundles that with a full length “unplugged” album: remastered to provide a fully upgraded compilation.

The first five songs comprise that “One for the Road” EP, with first track ‘Goin’ Home’ bursting from the speakers with exactly the kind of exciting hard rock you’d expect as a Trouble opener.  ‘Window Pain’ offers a pulsating, mid paced doom rocker, whilst ‘Requiem’ brings the tempo down further with a melancholy, gloomy metal dirge.  The Black Sabbath influence is most obvious on ‘Another Day’, whilst ‘Doom Box’ raises the tempo a little but still holds a candle to Dio era Sabs.  Some of these songs would turn up in different form on later albums, but this EP brings together an excellent capsule that fits neatly into that mid 90s period.

Back in the early/mid 90’s, “unplugged” albums were all the rage.  Like others of that era, this Trouble entry into that genre isn’t always stripped down totally to just vocals and acoustic guitar: there’s still electric guitar, drums and more to embellish the tracks were necessary.  The strings added to this second version of ‘Requiem’ are exceptionally orchestrated and serve the mood of the piece brilliantly.  That said, ‘7.00 AM’ is a remarkably restrained and beautiful song, recalling Sabbath and also Trouble worshippers Soundgarden. 

Those songs – and the other tracks comprising the “Unplugged” part of this release – offer a relaxed side of the band that explores more of their psychedelic, sixties interests (see their cover of The Yardbirds’ ‘Heartful of Soul’).  It’s a release that even my eleven-year-old daughter appreciated.  The only mis-step is the jaunty jig of ‘Smile’, which is just too jangly and nice.  Yet have no fear, the version of ‘Misery’ showcased here (released as ‘The Misery Shows’ on the eponymous Def American release) reminds us just how great this band were.   

My only major issue is the cover art.  That may seem petty when this is a review of the band’s music, but as a long-term Trouble fan, I’m considering buying the vinyl copy for my collection.  And that vile cover may well deter me from doing so.  Trouble has a great logo, but the cover squanders this with nothing other than the title, in what looks like – GASP! – Comic Sans MS!  A font that should only be used by primary school teaching assistants, it dates and also ridicules the stature of the music.  It’s a truly vile and lazy cover – seemingly thrown together by a Johnny-No-Stars work experience boy on his lunchbreak.  Awful.  Couldn’t someone have redesigned it?

I’m docking points for that, ‘cos the cover mocks all I hold holy.  Beyond that, fantastic music and a must for any Trouble fan.

RIP Eric Wagner

For more info, check out the Trouble website, their Facebook page or Bandcamp page.

Hammerheart Records also have a website, Facebook and Bandcamp.

This review has been brought to you by Platinum Al in partnership with Ever Metal.

Scrap Metal Vol 1 – Album Review

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Various Artists – Scrap Metal Volume 1

RidingEasy Records

Release date: 12/11/221

Running time: 34 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

Recently I’ve been razzing around this rundown town in Platinum Al’s Pimp Mobile (a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba, of course), blasting out this new compilation from those hard rockin’ duderinos at RidingEasy records.  And I haven’t had this much honest-to-rockness fun in goddamn ages!

You may recall RidingEasy’s previous comps, as reviewed by yours truly, from their Brown Acid collections of long lost proto-metal/stoner rock artifacts of the late 60s/early 70s.  Well, with Scrap Metal, they’ve taken the same approach (unearthing long-forgotten rare tracks, and releasing a carefully restored sonic document of said tunes) – but this time, applied it to the age of 70s/80s classic Heavy Metal. 

Listeners will discover a variety of styles of HM here, as the genre splits into numerous offshoots.  So, we get to hear the blossoming styles of NWOBHM, thrash, doom and glam at a time when they all still share a generous amount of DNA.  It’s classic metal, folks – and to be honest, I didn’t find that much difference between the “styles” on offer.  What I did find was ten blinding tracks of fun (and slightly dumb) rock’n’roll monsters.

Witness, for example, the wonder of “Headbang” by Rapid Tears.  Fast paced, dumb ass, dingus brained heavy rock for you to race to the chippy in a Trans-Am.  It’s glorious.  Then, with barely a rest, we’re assaulted by Air Raid’s “69 in a 55”: like early Maiden (even down to the Paul Di’Anno vocals) but with a cucumber stuffed down the spandex pants.

And the surprises keep on coming.  Hades are simply brilliant, their track “Girls Will Be Girls” venturing toward speed metal.  Resless have a crap name, but “The Power” is a Priest like power-thon that is bound to excite.  “Enemy Ace” by The Beast is a definite unrefined highlight; almost in the realms of crossover, it’s a particularly aggressive track that’s totally unsuitable for polite tea parties with grandma.

The compilation isn’t perfect: Don Cappa’s “Steel City Metal” ticks all the cliché boxes, but plods.  Yet adrenaline infused, urgent rockers like “Can’t Stop” by Dead Silence, “Iron Curtain” by Czar and “Viking Queen” by Real Steel keep the fists punching the air and a grin on the face.    

As with the Brown Acid series, it’s bewildering how at least some of the bands on Scrap Metal Volume 1 didn’t get any further.  I’ve heard a lot worse.  However, careers are built on consistently great song writing and performance – we only have one (admittedly brilliant) song by each band to testify here.

The lyrics and themes may wallow in the murky depths of the tired and obvious, but I challenge any of you to not enjoy the music on offer.  Park any pretentions of sophistication you may hold, the energy to be heard on these tracks is pure pleasure.  Pull on your super tight jeans, bullet belt and patch covered battle vest, let your hair down (if you still can), and rejoice in a simpler time.  Scrap Metal Vol 1 is a full on, beer swilling triumph of an album.  HEADBANG!!!

Visit the RidingEasy Records website here.

Or check them out on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Insta or Bandcamp.

Today’s review is brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Brown Acid: The Thirteenth Trip – Album Review

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Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Thirteenth Trip

RidingEasy Records

Release date: 31/10/2021

Running time: 35 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

Back in early 1970, I was in LA working for Jim Morrison, singer of the Doors.  Morrison was a pretentious, drunken bore – but we did have a few old laughs.  This one time, Jimbo was mid-liaison with a young lady in her upstairs apartment, and I had to pick him up in his new car before the pair were interrupted by her husband.  Parked in a gleaming white Dodge Challenger under the first-floor window, there was no fire escape and Jim had to jump out of the window onto the roof of his car.  It was a hard top, not a cabriolet, and Jim’s fat arse flattened it like an egg box when he hit it.  He wasn’t in the best shape at that point.  Wrecked that beautiful car, too.  Luckily, I could still see out of the window, and drove off in hysterics, while chubby Jim tried to squeeze into his tiny leather trousers.

Great days, indeed.  And the memories of that time always come flooding back when I spin one of these Brown Acid compilations from RidingEasy Records.  Yet again, the guys have dug out some long-lost treasures of the early hard rock and proto metal variety, to return phoenix like from the netherworld.

Things get underway splendidly with “Run Run” by Max, a funky riff rocker that will light up your lava lamp straight away.  It’s probably my favourite on another strong collection.  Next is “Dark Street” by Ralph Williams and the Wright Brothers – fuzzy guitars and great vocal melodies with a faint air of menace.  Geyda provide “Third Side”, another pacey rocker, reminiscent of the MC5.

Following that, there’s Gary Del Vecchio, who’s apparently “Buzzin’”.  But then, who wasn’t in those days?!  It’s party time blues rock in the vein of early Zep.  John Kitko is suffering from “Indecision”, as proven by the psychedelic jam of the start contrasting with the speedy, aggressive main body of the song – with Alice Cooper-like vocals.   

“Hope” by Bacchus reminded me of old Jimbo’s band doing “Roadhouse Blues”.  Master Danse are up next with a very heavy blues number, “Feelin’ Dead”.  It’s a slow, ponderous song with a melancholy vibe – which I’ll swear was stolen by The Cult for their obscure B-side “Wolf Child’s Blues”.

Orchid offer up the weakest track on the album, “Go Big Red”, a fairly unexceptional garage rock number.  It’s fun and still has some charm, though.  Then you’ve got Dry Ice and “Don’t Munkey with the Funky Skunky”, a crazy fast paced number that’s like The Monkees and Jimi Hendrix jamming a Eurovision novelty song.  On drugs.  Finally, a strong final track from Good Humore, “Detroit” – a catchy tribute with a sprinkling of MC5 at their most rock’n’roll.

And there we have it: another fine collection of rock fossils unearthed and displayed for our enjoyment, never to be forgotten again.  It may be “the Thirteenth Trip”, but this ain’t unlucky for some – it’s gold all the way.

Remember that World Wide Web thing? Well, you can check out RidingEasy Records at various site webs, such as their own, Bandcamp, Facebooks, Twidder, ChewTube and Insta.

This review was presented to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.