![]() ![]() The LP opens with a rocked up version of Mose Allison’s jazz blues standard ‘Parchman Farm’, McCarty’s fiery riff and lead line joined by Bogert’s booming bass and Day’s explicit, drug inspired interpretation of Allison’s lyrics “I’m sitting over here on Parchaman farm, all I ever did was shoot my arm.” ‘My Lady From South Of Detroit’ delves into balladish territory as Day sings “she’s my lady from south of Detroit, and even though sometimes she’s bad, I’m so sorry she’s gone, cause my memory lives on, she’s the best lover I ever had.” McCarty contributes a gentle solo while Bogert and Appice maintain a restrained riff. The group compositions combined heavy, blues based rock melodies supplied by McCarty, Bogert and Appice with gritty, introspectively hedonistic lyrics from Day. The band’s self-titled debut album released on July 1, 1970, like its successors, was a mix of band originals and covers. The first three discs contain the studio output of the original quartet from 19. Cherry Red Records, UK, has compiled the group’s studio albums, supplemented by single sides and outtakes, along with four discs of live material unavailable until 2007, in a massive new eight disc box set. Bogert and Appice carried on as a quintet, releasing a fourth LP in 1972 before the band called it a day. The foursome released three studio albums in 19, before Day and McCarty exited. How can you not bleed, sweat or cry on the track even the tiniest bit? By most metrics, Chrome Cactus is one of the least interesting albums of the year focus solely on how a presumable rock record managed to be so nondescript, and it’s one of the most interesting.Cactus – ‘Evil Is Going On – The Complete ATCO Recordings 1970-1972’ (2022) Legendary blues rock band Cactus blended veteran Detroit rockers Rusty Day (lead vocals/harmonica) and Jim McCarty (lead guitar) with the New York rhythm section of Tim Bogert (bass) and Carmine Appice (drums). The process of summoning inspiration, writing songs, fine-tuning them in a live setting and laying them to tape-this takes so much self-belief, so much sacrifice, so much effort. But as Chrome Cactus’ captive listening audience, the closest you get to genuine pleasure is a perverse relief over the most mundane things allowing you to differentiate one track from the next.-we're talking about details as insignificant as an acoustic guitar (“Apaches Throat”), a Beavis-esque vocal melody (“Moondog First Quarter”), and a riff that kinda-sorta sounds like Stone Temple Pilots’ “Meat Plow” (“Mercy”).Įven when record collectors use the term “record collector rock,” they likely respect the fact that making any kind of record is hard work. That said, it’s only offensive if you’re insulted by killing time Chrome Cactus is actually a useful calling card for a band that could open for 95% of all major-indie guitar acts and be pleasantly ambient in a live setting, with nothing in their catalog that would disturb a conversation. Add in Zimmerman’s nasal wheeze, and the dominant sound of Chrome Cactus is " Silversun Pickups without the 'Guitar Hero' riffs", which means the Young does a better job of making you reconsider Silversun Pickups than that band’s own singles collection. The Young don’t even really play motorik-style rhythms, as just about everything here ends in the same place it started, at the same volume. He wields Chrome Cactus' inert melodies like blunt objects, nudging at the rhythm section’s endless boogie only in the slightest. Hans Zimmerman’s voice isn’t tuneless, it just has the range of a touchtone phone. ![]() The Jesus and Mary Chain? I mean, who doesn’t like Psychocandy? The syllabus of Chrome Cactus reads like the most basic indie rock bio-as-OKCupid profile: it’s not intriguing in the slightest, but it hits all the right SEO points.Īnd like most astute but unambitious crate diggers, you get the sense that the Young rep JAMC because it allows them to hide behind distortion, psych, and Kraut-because when it comes to writing hooks, those formats sorta let you off the hook. ZZ Top and Tom Petty? Hell, big part of their upbringing. Kraut-rock? Of course, that’s the good shit, man. Are they into psych-rock? Oh, definitely. At the very least, they put on for their city of Austin, adhering to the presumable spirit of SXSW which is, to veer off in a multitude of directions while still using both parts of “indie rock” to determine their true north. ![]() This is not to say the Young lack good taste-they just have nearly the same exact taste as nearly every other upstart guitar band that wants a minute of your time. ![]()
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