Two Albums from... Danzig

Glenn Danzig. You either hear the name and you bow your head in reverence or you bust out laughing. Either are understandable; take his work with The Misfits and you might consider him a legend. Take his post-Misfits work and you may consider him a total chode.

I actually prefer his hard rock/metal solo stuff to his early-80s hardcore horror punk; yes, gasp away you punkers, but the novelty of the devil-lock and The Fiend Club stickers wore off on me by the time I was 12. Yeah, I was a cynical little shit about everything back then, too.

I guess I'm too cool for school, but gimme that original Danzig line-up of Chuck Biscuits on drums, John Christ on guitar and Eerie Von on bass and get the hell outta my way. Or maybe I'm not cool enough. Whatever.

Fucking Danzig. The first two albums...

Danzig (1988; Def American Records)

Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990; Def American Records)

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori (1971)

Heavy psych from Japanese stoners; think Sabbath and Zeppelin channeled through extensive LSD trips, Eastern philosophy and Asian technical superiority- this is the essence of Flower Travellin' Band's 1971 classic Satori (the Japanese Buddhist term for "understanding"). Yeah, I understand that this fucking rocks- it acts as both an homage and an encouragement to American-slash-British hard rock, pushing the envelope a little further than Grand Funk, Deep Purple or Blue Cheer could've hoped to.

Lead guitarist Hideki Ishima may also be one of the most under-rated axe men of all-time; he shreds. Balancing the precarious tightrope between psychedelia, prog and metal; he weaves lines in and out of Joe Yamanaka's harmonica runs, all over Jun Kozuki's outstanding, plodding bass lines and George Wada's tight drumming.

I can't believe I didn't discover this record earlier in life; it's filled a void I didn't even know existed. Do yourself a huge favor; Oh, musical adventurer!- listen to this shit right now!!!

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori (1971; Atlantic Records)

Wishbone Ash - Argus (1972)

I guess I'm one of those dudes that always thinks records like this one should've been bigger than they were; maybe there's a perfect world where all the greatest overlooked music exists in perfect harmony with the over-rated- a place where Wishbone Ash would be filed (alphabetically, of course) right in between The Who and Yes (because that's sort of exactly where they're filed in my mind).

This album should be known for its outstanding guitar work; Andy Powell and Ted Turner's twin axe attack was maybe the first instance on record where two guitars could take a lead at the same time, interweaving their lines and runs into, as well as on top of, one another's. Lead singer Martin Turner's vocals aren't especially great but his bass work stands out here, clicking perfectly with drummer Steve Upton to create one of the most rewarding hidden gems of the decade.

If you're a prog rock fan, or an early '70s hard rock junkie, here's a pretty nice record that runs down the middle of those two genres, incorporating some folky influences as well...

Wishbone Ash - Argus (1972; MCA Records)

Power Of Zeus - The Gospel According To Zeus (1970)

Occasionally I shop for records at places you might not expect to find records. This is one of those records I found at a bookstore of all places; I have to admit I thought it was gonna be a hilarious novelty act. I mean, c'mon- Rare Earth Records was Motown's short-lived and ill-fated "rock" imprint label. The only other acts from that label I've even heard of are Rare Earth and The Pretty Things.

But Power Of Zeus, man this rocks. Some serious hard rock/heavy psych, halfway between Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with some Grand Funk Railroad thrown in for good measure. Big crunchy riffs, the swirly psychedelic Hammond B-3 organ is absolutely crammed into every spare nook, then take some wah-wah inflected funk- yeah, this record is a hidden gem...

Power Of Zeus - The Gospel According To Zeus (1970; Rare Earth Records)
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