Scott Morgan's Powertrane - Ann Arbor Revival Meeting 2002

Size: 201 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Living up to its title, Ann Arbor Revival Meeting is a cross-generational project from 2002 that brings to life Ann Arbor & Detroit’s rock legacy through a combination of some of its key protagonists.

Scott Morgan, who leads the band at the core of the record, Powertrane, goes back to mid ‘60s days, to The Rationals, who ruled the local teen scene alongside the likes of Bob Seger & The Last Heard. Scott is one of the great white soul singers. In the ‘70s, he fronted the seminal Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, alongside Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5 and Scott Asheton of The Stooges. 

Deniz Tek, guest for the entire show, is an Ann Arbor native who spent most of the ‘70s in Sydney and led the mighty Radio Birdman. Birdman invested Australia with its love of all things Ann Arbor/Detroit, and had themselves a huge influence on successive generations internationally. 

Ron Asheton, the special guest who appears playing guitar on the handful of Stooges tunes here is the man who played on them originally, the great and sadly now late guitar innovator who was at the core of The Stooges’ huge influence across of the ‘70s and beyond. Ron’s phenomenal appearances with Powertrane and Deniz got him back in the saddle and no doubt inspired Iggy to get Ron and brother Scott “Rock Action” Asheton back onside and reform The Stooges in 2003. 

Representing the younger generation are Powertrane’s rhythm section Andrew “Box” Taylor on bass, who instigated the band’s shows with Tek & Asheton, and Andy Frost, a great drummer who was mentored by Scott Asheton. Frost sadly passed away in 2010. Additionally, local identities Robert Gillespie and Hiawatha Bailey are present. Robert Gillespie is Powertrane’s regular lead guitarist, a long time sideman for original white R&B belter Mitch Rider and a former member of Rob Tyner’s new MC5 in the late ‘70s. Hiawatha, who sings a couple of the Stooges covers, was a Stooges roadie back in the day and later front man of local punk-rockers The Cult Heroes in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. 

In addition to the Stooges material, the album includes a selection of tunes spanning Scott Morgan’s career from Sonic’s Rendezvous through to records he made with Nicke Anderson of Sweden’s Detroit-obsessed Hellacopters as the Hydromatics, the brilliant Rob Tyner/Robert Gillespie co-write “Taboo”, and a bunch of songs from Tek’s illustrious career, including a possibly definitive “What Gives?”, a barely in-control “Smith & Wesson Blues”, and intense versions of a couple of his post-Birdman tracks, “Outside” and “Blood From A Stone”. 

Originally released on CD only by Real O-Mind Records in 2002, this is one of the great live albums. As a measure of the Detroit/Sydney connection in the high-energy rock world, it’s probably even better than the monolithic 1981 recording “The First & The Last” by Radio Birdman/Stooges/MC5 supergroup New Race.

Featuring 3 extra tracks, remastered for maximum impact, and available on vinyl for the first time. “Ann Arbor Revival Meeting” is an essential listen for anyone who loves Detroit high-energy rock’n’roll.

The title of this blazing live document comes from a between-song quip from guest artist Deniz Tek, and it's certainly fitting -- the show captured here brings together some truly legendary figures from the Michigan college town that became a home to the likes of the Stooges and the MC5 back in the day. 

In the 1960s, Scott Morgan was the lead singer and guitarist with Detroit's finest blue-eyed R&B act, the Rationals, and later he teamed with Fred "Sonic" Smith to form the brilliant (and woefully underappreciated) Sonic's Rendezvous Band. While Morgan has a remarkable résumé, he's also still making great high-energy rock & roll in the new millennium with his band Powertrane, and for a handful of special shows at Ann Arbor's Blind Pig, they were joined by Tek, an Ann Arbor émigré and close friend of Morgan's who formed one of Australia's most iconic rock outfits, Radio Birdman. 

Tek, Morgan, and Powertrane lead guitarist Robert Gillespie (who has played with Rob Tyner and Mitch Ryder) make for a truly devastating guitar combination here, and things only get hotter when Ron Asheton shows up for a show-closing mini-set of Stooges classics. But as good as "TV Eye," "No Fun," and "1969" sound in this context, the songs that really astound are Morgan's stellar originals (especially "R.I.P. R&R," "Runaway Slaves," and "Dangerous") and some lesser-known tunes from Tek's solo career, in particular "Blood from a Stone" and a simply blistering run through "Outside"." 

Cult Heroes belter Hiawatha Bailey sounds great taking vocals on several of the Stooges' numbers, and it's high praise to bassist Chris "Box" Taylor and drummer Andrew Frost that they don't just keep up with the frontline talent, but push them gloriously into the red zone. The best rock & roll live albums are the ones that leave you saying, "Man, I would have loved to have seen that," and anyone who digs high-energy Detroit-style rock & roll will listen with slack-jawed glee to Ann Arbor Revival Meeting, imagining they'd been at the Blind Pig this particular evening. Thankfully, a good recording engineer was on hand to capture the fury for the folks who couldn't make it, and the results are 66 minutes of heavily amplified bliss.

01. Love And Learn  03:16
02. Rip R&r  02:26
03. Hanging On  03:53
04. Runaway Slaves  04:16
05. Ready To Ball  02:56
06. Blood From A Stone  03:51
07. Taboo  05:30
08. Smith & Wesson Blues  02:55
09. Earthy  02:53
10. Shellback  03:35
11. What Gives  02:47
12. Dangerous  03:43
13. Outside  06:38
14. 1969  03:57
15. I Wanna Be Your Dog  04:03
16. Down On The Street  03:51
17. No Fun  03:28
18. Tv Eye  05:38
19. New Race  04:00
20. City Slang  06.04

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What Makes Jimi Hendrix Such a Good Guitarist

One of the best guitar player in the world

         Enjoy, ChrisGoesRock

What Makes John Bonham Such a Good Drummer?

Listen to the greatest drummer i the world

"John Bonham - Led Zeppelin"

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Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes - Tooth, Fang and Claw (US 1974)

Size: 97.3 MB

Bitrate: 320
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Tooth, Fang & Claw is the seventh and final album by Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes. It is the second offering on the DiscReet label. Re-issued in 1977 by Warner Bros as part of "Two Originals of... Ted Nugent".

The band consists of Nugent, Rob Grange on bass and drummer Vic Mastrianni. The album has the feel of the outdoors (esp. "Hibernation") and Nugent's love for hunting and rock and roll; the backsleeve pictures him playing hard in front of an amplifier stack, next to a wild boar trophy.

Like on the Amboy Dukes' previous three albums, the credits are followed by a short tongue-in-cheek statement. This time, "Fear not the crusted warblers, but be wary of the Mad Cheese Grater for he shall slaw the features from your face. Beware the public carnivores as they inevitably edibly have a soft nosed hollow point magnum behind every bush."

"Great White Buffalo" is one of the mainstays of Nugent's catalog and was generated on this album. In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited he discusses how he and Grange developed the song idea: "This was yet another magical moment like the original musical burst of so many of my songs. This amazing lick/song erupted spontaneously during a recording session around 1972-73," Nugent says. "As I was tuning up my Blonde Byrdland, that pattern leaped forth with a force to reckon with. Killer bass player, Rob Grange, stopped me and asked what the hell that was, and I said "I don't know, just jackin’ around, tuning up." He told me to play it again, but I failed to play the lick the same as I had just done moments before and he kept badgering me to re-discover the lick. I didn't. But after recording some other songs, I again went to tune up my Gibson and the lick burst forth again. Rob Grange yelled 'That's it! That's it!' So I played it a few times, showed the guys where I wanted to stop and start it up again, turned on the tape machine and recorded it in one fell swoop, making up the lyrics as I went along, articulating to the best of my ability my take on the great Indian legend of the spiritual beast of yore. Rob Grange came up with that wonderful fluid bass melody at the end, Vic the thundering double bass drum assault, and history was made. To this day it is one of my and the audiences' and band's all time favorites."

Also featured, a frantic and happily deranged version of "Maybellene", a 1955 classic of Chuck Berry (often quoted by Nugent in the late 70s as a major influence on his playing). Ted Nugent is credited for a one-finger guitar solo under the moniker "Rev Atrocious Theodosius".

The album includes one of very few "calm" Nugent songs of this era, "Sasha", which Nugent dedicated to his newly born daughter.

Due to Warner Bros distributing the album worldwide, Ted Nugent's music eventually began to reach overseas markets, but his royalties were not up to his expectations - DiscReet's manager & owner Frank Zappa reported mediocre sales. In late October 1974, rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes joined the band at least for one of the Amboy Dukes' final shows at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

By 1975, Nugent abandoned the troubled DiscReet label and signed with Epic Records. He teamed with producer Tom Werman and Aerosmith’s managers, Leber-Krebs, who organized his live tours into commercially successful operations. The only Amboy Dukes member who continued with Nugent in his solo career is bassist Rob Grange. Nugent's band also included Derek St. Holmes on vocals and guitar, and drummer Clifford Davies; Ted Nugent moved forward to national and worldwide success.

In the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, the character Wooderson, played by Matthew McConaughey, wears a t-shirt featuring the Tooth Fang & Claw album cover.

In 1995, "Tooth, Fang & Claw" was a song on the album Spirit of the Wild, which marked Ted Nugent's return to an outdoor lifestyle and his original sound of hard rock.

Personnel
♦ Ted Nugent – Guitar, vocals, percussion
♦ Rob Grange – Bass, vocals, arrangements, composer
♦ Vic Mastrianni – Drums, percussion
♦ Andy Jezowski (and the Crusted Warblers) – Backing vocals

01. "Lady Luck" - 5:57
02. "Living in the Woods" - 3:54
03. "Hibernation" - 9:19
04. "Free Flight" - 4:03
05. "Maybellene" - (Chuck Berry, Russ Fratto, Alan Freed) - 3:28
06. "The Great White Buffalo" - 4:57
07. "Sasha" - 3:06
08. "No Holds Barred" - 4:48

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Asomvel - World Shaker (Fast Lemmy-Rock, Retro) (UK 2019)

Size: 88.7 MB
Bitrate: 320
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ASOMVEL released their well-respected debut LP, Kamikaze, in 2009. Barely a year later, the band was shaken to its core when front-man, Jay-Jay Winter, was killed in a road accident.

Although a devastating tragedy, co-founding guitarist, Lenny, knew that the band had to continue in tribute to the determined spirit of their founder.

A Dream to Some...A Nightmare to Others.
These guys calmly walk on, bludgeon your senses with a baseball bat and then retire to the bar, leaving you with what's left of your mind in a pool in your pants.

"The best heavy metal has plenty of dirt under its fingernails: this lot must never be allowed to work in a food preparation area."
- Dom Lawson, The Guardian

Although a devastating tragedy, co-founding guitarist, Lenny, knew that the band had to continue in tribute to the determined spirit of their founder.

Since releasing their 2013 album, Knuckle Duster, with Bad Omen Records to much critical acclaim, and recruiting Jay-Jay’s Nephew, Ralph, the band has spent the last couple of years playing around the world; including a tour of Brazil, dates in Japan, Slovenia, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland - these dates included many respected festivals such as Hammerfest, Party San Open Air, Siege of Limerick, and MetalDays.

It doesn’t take much more than passing glance at bassist/vocalist Ralph Robinson to see where UK classic metallers Asomvel are coming from. The Motörhead homage is palpable throughout “True Believer,” their latest single and the second track from their upcoming third long-player, World Shaker. It’s newly announced that Heavy Psych Sounds will release the album on May 3 with preorders up now, so if you’re feeling like you might indeed be a believer, you’ve got a chance to prove it. The band was founded in 1993 by guitarist Lenny Robinson — who also did a stint in Solstice — and lost original bassist/vocalist Jay-Jay Winter after the release of their 2009 debut. Ralph is his nephew, so only fitting he should carry the torch forward with this new album.

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS RECORDS is proud to welcome a new member to their eclectic artist roster and family: Heavy Metal overlords ASOMVEL have signed a worldwide deal with the Italian cult label! Today the band is sharing the first and hotly anticipated details about their forthcoming new album, World Shaker.

May 3rd 2019 will see the band release their third album titled World Shaker, followed by a heavy touring cycle all over the globe. Says vocalist & bassist Ralph: “We’ll be releasing World Shaker in May, through Heavy Psych Sounds. We’ve got 11 tracks ready to go; the best you’ve heard in a son-of-a-bitch long time!”

World Shaker is dedicated to the founding ASOMVEL member, Jay-Jay Winter. Carrying with it Jay’s attitude, grit, and determination this album is the first to feature the new line-up; Finnish drummer, Jani Pasanen, and Jay-Jay’s nephew, Ralph Robinson. Produced by James ‘Atko’ Atkinson, World Shaker was recorded in September 2018 at The Stationhouse, and comes with a blistering master by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios. Sticking to the traditions of the very best in rock ‘n’ roll, while remaining utterly relevant, World Shaker is eleven heavy metal songs to live your life by; this is the album Moses would have brought down from Mount Sinai.

♦ Ralph - Bass/Vocals
♦ Lenny Robinson - Guitar
♦ Jani Pasanen - Drums

01. World Shaker 02:29
02. True Believer 02:31
03. Payback's A Bitch 03:41
04. Runnin' The Gauntlet 03:16
05. Reap The Whirlwind 04:00
06. The Law is the Law 04:30
07. Steamroller 03:03
08. Every Dog Has It's Day 03:01
09. Railroaded 02:33
10. Smokescreen 03:51
11. The Nightmare Ain't Over 02:55

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West Coast Natural Gas - Two's A Pair (US Psych Rock 1966-68)

 Size: 118 MB
Birate: 320
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Found in DC++ World
Artwork Included

Killer West Coast psychedelic monster that took many years to be completed!!! West Coast Natural Gas began life in 1965 in Seattle. In early 1967 they went to San Francisco to work for a local music manager named Matthew Katz.  

Katz was the original manager for Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and later It’s a Beautiful Day. He talked West Coast Natural Gas into signing a contract with him but they didn’t realize at the time, being young and stupid. That basically they signed over everything to him. They went to the studio and recorded some original tunes: A Favor, Go Run and Play, The Jumping Frog, Hashish, Water or Wine, Beyond This Place, and Two’s A Pair. 

In early 1968 the band broke up and went back to Seattle. Katz released a single – Go Run and Play / A Favor on his S.F. Sound label under the name West Coast Natural Gas. Later he released a compilation album - the first San Francisco Sound sampler - called “Fifth Pipe Dream”. The four songs mentioned before, Water or Wine, Hashish, Beyond This Place and Two’s A Pair were the ones recorded by WCNG and relabeled by Katz as Indian Puddin’ and Pipe. 

An album full of VINTAGE 1966-1968 Music by the band that brought you the incredible 'HASHISH' on the legendary San Franciso Sampler 'Fifth Pipe Dream'. First ever release of this killer Westcoast psychedelic monster that took many years to complete!!! West Coast Natural Gas started in 1965 in Seattle. In early 1967 they went to San Francisco to work for a local music manager named Matthew Katz. 

This superb release includes all the above mentioned songs, plus others from acetates. As a big surprise we found another four never before heard songs. All recorded 1966 in a local Seattle Recording Studio before they even went to San Francisco, all of which are included in this great release.

West Coast Natural Gas
■ Pat Craig - Vocals, Piano, Organ, Autoharp, Guitar
■ Kris Larsen - Vocals, Guitar
■ Steve Mack - Vocals, Lead Guitar
■ Dave Burke - Bass
■ Jeff Labrache- Drums, Vocals

01 Go Run and Play  02:34
02 A Favor  03:41
03 A Favor (version 2)  03:45
04 The Jumping Frog  03:34
05 Two's a Pair  04:16
06 Beyond This Place  02:33
07 Hashish  03:03
08 Water or Wine  03:40
09 The West Coast Natural Gas White Levis Commercial "Never Break"  00:46
10 Radio Promo From The Galaxy Club ca. 1968  00:38
11 Mr. You're a Better Man Than I  02:56
12 Younger Girl 02:12
13 You Make Me Feel So Good  02:13
14 He Was a Friend of Mine  02:39

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Tea and Symphony - Jo Sago (Rare 2nd Album UK 1970)

Size: 121 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
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Formed in Birmingham, England, this adventurous ensemble was part of the city’s Big Bear management stable. Although Tea And Symphony originally comprised James Langston (vocals, guitar), Jeff Daw (guitar) and Nigel Phillips (drums, ‘exotic’ instruments), they were often augmented by musicians from the agency including Bob Lamb and Mick Hincks from the group Locomotive. Tea And Symphony’s debut An Asylum For The Musically Insane, was an enchanting, if self-indulgent collection, but its period-piece madness was sadly jettisoned for the more formal follow-up, Jo Sago. Guitarists Bob Wilson and Dave Carroll were now part of the group’s fluid line-up, but the ensemble broke up in 1971 when both of these artists, and drummer Bob Lamb, joined the Idle Race. The three individuals remained with their new-found outlet when it became known as the Steve Gibbons Band.

Tea and Symphony was a British musical group of the late 1960s and early 1970s whose style may be described as "progressive folk". From Birmingham, they recorded two albums for Harvest Records, had one track, "Maybe My Mind (With Egg)", included on the Harvest sampler Picnic - A Breath of Fresh Air, toured Britain with Bakerloo (Blues Line) and were guests on John Peel's BBC radio programme.

The group was generally a trio, though sometimes supplemented by extra musicians. Members included Jeff Daw (lead guitar, backing vocals, flute), James Langston (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Nigel Phillips (drums, backing vocals, keyboards, recorder, left 1969), Jonathan Benyon (mime, joined 1968 left 1969), Dave Carroll (guitar, backing vocals, bass, violin, joined 1970, left 1971), Bob Wilson (guitar, keyboards, joined 1969, left 1971), Peter 'Chatters' Chatfield (drums, joined 1970, left 1972), Tom Bennison (bass, French horn, joined & left 1970), Mick Barker (drums, joined 1971), and Stewart Johnson (guitars, vocal, joined 1971). Steve Eaves is another former alumnus. They were one of the earliest bands to have their own dedicated light show, one of which was Ephemera Lights (Steve Hayes)

Tea & Symphony formed in Birmingham (UK) in 1968 and were originally heavily influenced by folk music, their repertoire consisting largely of their own arrangements of other people’s songs, with a strong proclivity for those of Bob Dylan.

Their instrumentation at the time was an amalgam of electric instruments (bass and guitar) and acoustic ones (guitars, cello, harmonica, hand drums, flute, recorder, etc).

Their first Harvest single was a version of Procul Harum‘s Salty Dog and they augmented their line-up to include Hammond Organ, drums, piano and mandolin.

They became part of Jim Simpson’s Birmingham-based Big Bear Management stable of artists who also included Black Sabbath.

Debut album An Asylum For The Musically Insane was an enchanting if self-indulgent collection. By the time of the Jo Sago album, the group were joined by Bob Wilson on Keyboards, Guitar and Bass and had moved further into the area of Prog Rock.

Produced by Tony Cox at Sound Techniques studios, Jo Sago was a conceptual work that touched on subjects such as race relations in 1970s Britain and more.

The album is now regarded as a classic of the era, with original Harvest vinyl copies changing hands for significant sums.

The band broke up in 1971.

★ James Langston - lead vocals, acoustic & 12-string guitars, percussion
★ Jef Daw - acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars, bass guitar, percussion, flute, backing vocals
★ Bob Wilson - piano, organ, harpsichord, acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars, bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals
★ Nigel Phillips - drums
★ Mick Hincks - guitar.

01 Jo Sago - A Play On Music (Jeff Daw) including;
a. "Miniature" - 2:01
b. "Nyada" - 4:06
c. "Journey" - 1:19
d. "Brother" - 3:51
e. "Africa Paprika" - 3:29
f. "Fairground Suite" - 2:25
g. "Desperate Oil" - 5:53
h. "Umbilical Bill" - 0:51
i. "Goodnight" - 3:33
02 "Try Your Luck" (Nigel Phillips) - 3:18
03 "Yourself" (James Langston) - 3:28
04 "Green Fingered" - Redhanded (Jeff Daw) - 0:54
05 "Seasons Turn To One" (Jeff Daw) - 3:04
06 "View To The Sky" (James Langston) - 2:41
07 "The Nortihorticulturalist" (Nigel Phillips) - 3:26
08 "Dangling" (Bob Wilson) - 0:59

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Great Electric Quest - Live at Freak Valley (Good Heavy US 2020)

Size: 124 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
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With "Live At Freak Valley," GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST establish their mighty reign over the heavy rock underground for good. If headbanging to their first two albums "Chapter I" and "Chapter II" wasn't enough, you are about to experience the exhilarating force of their live shows through this absolutely must-have live record.

Clocking in at a full hour, the band delivers with maestria those epic vocals, high-flying solos, proto-metal grooves and jam-laden turnarounds they're known for, electricity filling the air while the crowd jubilates... You've just been thunderstruck by the sheer awesomeness of Rock'n'Roll's saviours GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST.

The mighty rock’n’roll crusaders have returned! After touring extensively in North America and Europe, San Diego’s one and only GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST return with their blazing hot “Live From Freak Valley” album this March 27th on Ripple Music. Listen to a first excerpt now!

“The Great Electric Quest are the sort of band you can’t help but to fall in love with.” Metal Injection 

With “Live At Freak Valley”, GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST are about to establish their mighty reign over the heavy rock underground for good. If headbanging to their first two albums “Chapter I” and “Chapter II” wasn’t enough, you are about to experience the exhilarating force of their live shows through this absolutely must-have live record. Clocking in at one full hour, the band delivers with maestria those epic vocals, high-flying solos, proto-metal grooves and jam-laden turnarounds they are known for: electricity instantly fills the air while the crowd jubilates… You’ve just been thunderstruck by the sheer awesomeness of Rock’n’Roll’s saviours GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST.

Guitarist Buddy Donner comments: “Ahhhhhhhh yeah! Freak Valley Festival 2019 was the absolute highlight of our three-month “Beer Wars Tour”. Journeying from the west coast of North America to Canada and all over Europe, nothing topped the vibe at Freak Valley Festival in Netphen, Germany. A sold-out gathering of 2500 people, but it felt like everyone knew each other. One massive Rock’n’Roll Family. It was an honor to share the stage with Corrosion of Conformity, Wolfmother, Brant Bjork, Dead Lord, DeWolff and so many more. We are quite excited to release a live version of our performance at this event, and most honored to be releasing this with the mighty Ripple Music! It’s been a long time coming!“

Sonic story tellers GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST are true merchants of Rock and Roll and Heavy Metal, taking listeners on a journey into an ever expanding world of captivating characters and allegories. Their sophomore album “Chapter II” brought their journey to flat out gargantuan proportions. High-flying solos, rhythms, and lyrics along with the production of Jeff Henson (Duel) and Tony Reed (Mos Generator) combine to bring a bigness and fullness of color that elevates this album into upper echelons. “Chapter II” was released in 2018, following which the band took over international stages with thunderous and dripping-hot performances at SXSW, Desertfest, Ripplefest, Freak Valley Festival and many more!

Great Electric Quest is 
★ T-Sweat” Dingvell – Vocals
★ Buddy Donner – Guitar
★ Daniel “MuchoDrums” Velasco – Drums
★ Bliss – Bass

01. In the Flesh 01:28
02. Seeker of the Flame 04:40
03. Of Earth Part I 07:54
04. Of Earth Part II 06:05
05. Of Earth Part III 02:57
06. Victim of Changes 08:22
07. The Madness 03:44
08. Heart of the Son 05:44
09. Wicked Hands 03:45
10. Highway Star 07:05

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Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come (Raw Hardrock US 1970)

Size: 97.2 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Source: 24-Bit Remaster

Kingdom Come is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Sir Lord Baltimore, released on Mercury Records in 1970.

All of the songs on Kingdom Come were co-written and arranged by Mike Appel, who would later become Bruce Springsteen's manager. Co-produced by Appel and Jim Cretecos, the album was recorded at Vantone Studios in West Orange, New Jersey, before being mixed by Eddie Kramer and Kim King at Electric Lady Studios in New York, New York. Kramer is well known for his work with Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Curtis Mayfield.

This album is notable for the fact that its 1971 review in Creem contains an early documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music. It features distorted guitar, enhanced by extensive use of multi-tracking, and has been compared to Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, Van Halen (?), Kiss and the Stooges.

Kingdom Come is also considered to be a pioneer of stoner rock.

When Sir Lord Baltimore released Kingdom Come in 1970, heavy metal was just a twinkle in Black Sabbath's eyes (the Birmingham legends' first album had only just hit record stores), and the term itself was years away from widespread acceptance as the definition of an entire category of rock music. So much so, that present-day listeners might find this album's songs as comparable to those of so-called "early punks" The Stooges or MC5, as they are to other proto-metal outfits like Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and certainly Sabbath themselves. As was the case with every one of these acts, Sir Lord Baltimore's music was fundamentally rooted in unbridled aggression, deafening distortion, and raw power: like Nuggets, the next generation. In other words, there was little finesse to be found in savage album cuts like "Helium Head," "Hard Rain Fallin'," and "Pumped Up" -- just bludgeoning hard rock seemingly ever on the verge of spontaneous self-combustion under the command of vocalist John Garner's wild-eyed, howling, vocal acrobatics. 

Clues of the group's influence by the classic '60s power trios (Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, etc.) were evident on bluesier, but still reliably tee-total numbers like "I Got a Woman" "Hell Hound," and "Lady of Fire"; while "Master Heartache" was jump-started by a monstrous bassline foreshadowing of Motörhead, and the leaden title track somehow managed to echo both the dying psychedelic movement and emerging doom. 

Finally, there was album wildcard "Lake Isle of Innersfree": a shockingly sedate and civilized, Baroque combination of harpsichord and 12-string guitars topped by suitably psychedelic lyrics which, not surprisingly, was crafted with the help of the band's managers (namely future Bruce Springsteen Svengali Mike Appel, trivia fans). As well as a true anomaly, the latter hinted at Sir Lord Baltimore's growing stylistic broadening which would both diversify and dilute their second and final album, leaving Kingdom Come to stand the test of time as the band's authoritative work. 

And, even though it was generally dismissed by critics and misunderstood by listeners of the day (as were Sabbath and the Stooges, of course), the album gradually grew in stature to become one of early heavy metal's best-loved documents, and most consistently sought-out cult items.

Brooklyn, NY's Sir Lord Baltimore were arguably America's first bona fide heavy metal band, and the funny thing is, they didn't even know it, since the style had yet to establish itself when the band first burst onto the scene. And because SLB's precocious, raw talent was offset by their immaturity and utter lack of business acumen, their budding career was summarily derailed after just two generally underrated albums. Thus, they were cursed to endure decades of obscurity until their music was rediscovered, vindicated, and often covered or flat-out copied by many stoner rock bands of the 1990s and beyond.

If anything makes sense in the ill-fated Sir Lord Baltimore story, it's the fact that the commercial success attained during their existence was as modest as the band's inner-city roots. Vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bassist Gary Justin were recently graduated from high school and had only been rehearsing for a few months when they auditioned for talent scout Mike Appel, who would later help launch the career of one Bruce Springsteen. Impressed by the band's undeniable power and chemistry, and assured by Dambra (who had just recorded an album with another group named the Koala) that the ferocious riffs he was playing were in fact not copped from Jimmy Page, Appel decided to take the inexperienced young trio under his wing. 

So, after fine-tuning and rearranging their raw materials into a strong batch of songs, Sir Lord Baltimore began recording their debut album, Kingdom Come, in West Orange, NJ, where they reportedly impressed a visiting Pink Floyd and attracted the attention of high-powered artist manager Dee Anthony, who wasted little time pushing out Appel and taking over the group's day-to-day operation.

Anthony then commissioned Jimi Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer to mix the finished Kingdom Come at the legendary guitarist's own Electric Ladyland studios in Manhattan, before securing a deal with Mercury Records for its release in mid-1970. Unfortunately, mainstream critics and consumers of the time didn't seem to know what to make of Sir Lord Baltimore's thundering hard rock (or, for that matter, those of any other similar band, like the Stooges or the MC5, unless they originated in the U.K.), which presciently yielded the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to describe this kind of music in a contemporary review by Creem magazine.

Nevertheless, Anthony's contacts in high places were strong enough to secure SLB opening slots on tours with Black Sabbath (including two nights at the Fillmore East) and Humble Pie, but perhaps a tad prematurely, as it was on-stage that Sir Lord Baltimore's lack of experience and underdeveloped showmanship were revealed for all to see, sending them back to Brooklyn with tails between legs and egos in check to ponder their next move. 

This would eventually entail the addition of Louis' brother Joey Dambra on second guitar, leading up to the recording of their second, eponymous album, in 1971, where a concerted effort was made to both rein in the band's wild energy and broaden its sound into more progressive realms, with some success but nowhere near as much spontaneous combustion captured within the grooves. And when these "improvements" also fell short of commercial expectations, Sir Lord Baltimore were unceremoniously dropped by Mercury and left to their own devices shortly thereafter by their fickle Svengali. 

The bandmembers still began working on new music with hopes of finding another interested label, but finally gave up the fight in 1976 after a new contract for a rumored third album failed to materialize, resigning themselves to a life outside rock & roll as their records collected dust in cutout bins.

But the eventual rise of hard rock and heavy metal and, in particular, its mid-'90s offshoot, stoner rock, finally sparked a retroactive reevaluation of Sir Lord Baltimore's work, and vindicated the now middle-aged fans and music collectors who had always championed their cause. It also jolted John Garner and Louis Dambra (now a pastor ministering to homeless families in Los Angeles) out of their musical retirement in 2006, with the goal of recording the material intended for that never-made third album. 

Bassist Gary Justin hadn't picked up his instrument in years and declined to take part, but a few session players, including journeyman Tony Franklin, were drafted to help finish Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw, which was made available for sale through Sir Lord Baltimore's official website, all of 30 years after their breakup. Garner has since fielded several offers to perform select reunion shows in the U.S. and abroad, but has yet to come to terms that would bring Sir Lord Baltimore back to the live stage.

Personnel:
★ John Garner - lead vocals, drums
★ Louis Dambra - guitar
★ Gary Justin - bass

01. "Master Heartache"  04:37
02. "Hard Rain Fallin'"  02:56
03. "Lady of Fire"  02:53
04. "Lake Isle of Innersfree"  04:03
05. "Pumped Up"  04:07
06. "Kingdom Come"  06:35
07. "I Got a Woman" (writers: Ray Charles, Renald Richard)  03:03
08. "Hell Hound"  03:20
09. "Helium Head (I Got a Love)"  04:02
10. "Ain't Got Hung on You"  02:24

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