VOLUME 3

This were "San Diego's Only Psychedelic Cops" and this is exactly the right term for the music of BRAIN POLICE that is a mixture between the Beatles and Steppenwolf. Sometimes with a lot of melody and then very hard and heavy and bluesy. The guitarwork is raw and the organ sounds dirty and greasy. Sometimes it reminds me to a dirty version of Cream, while a song like "Gypsy Woman" is very close to heaviest Blue Cheer. Another fine song is the beautiful "I'll Find Love" with its crazy organ sounds where one don't need to take any drugs because the "Psych Cops" have dosed you already. You can't reach a higher level and you stick under the ceiling of your room, because the music is the drug. But don't try to smoke it! A great re-release by Shadoks Music including nine bonus tracks, because the original album is too rare and expensive somewhere about 1000 $. The CD contains a nice package with extensive linernotes. Buy and get high!

Rick Nelson and Tom Petersson, who founded Cheap Trick in 1976, were still around in 1970 with FUSE who releases on album on Epic. In opposite to Cheap Trick, FUSE are playing 70's Hardrock, maybe a bit influenced by Deep Purple, and Rick Nelson is also playing organ and mellotron. It seems as if they had listened to a lot of English bands at that time and vocalist Joe Sundberg owns a rough and powerful voice. As far as I know, there exsists no official CD re-release of this album, only a bootleg. What a pity, because this a very recommandable Hardrock jewel! The album contains eight tracks that are enjoyable from the beginning to the end.

Now a few words about a band from Michigan, USA that was formed in 1971 by keyboarder Keith Robinson and bassplayer Jerry Opdycke. Other members were Jimmy Robinson on lead-vocals, Paul Decker on keyboards and Tom Curtis on drums. From 1972 until 1973 the band was constantly on tour and the absolutely highlight for KOPPERFIELD was a show at a Blues Festival in front of 10.000 people. Shortly after, the first album followed that is simply a pure masterpiece, comparable to the heaviest material of Grand Funk. It's wouldn't be fair to pick out single tracks, because the album kills from the opener to the last power-chord. Record collecters are paying about 1000 $ for this item, but who cares because Gear Fab had done a CD re-release with nine bonus cuts from 1972 and 1975. If you're searchin' a vinyl re-release check out the 2LP edition on Akarma (on CD, too!). But back to history! After this debut album KOPPERFIELD have supported bigger acts like James Gang or Kansas f.e, but sadly the band split-up in 1975, although they've planned to record the second album, but as so often musical differences were the reason for the finish. Keith Robinson formed a new band named Razmataz that released an album with the title "Dancing Madly Backwards", but it's still unknown to me. But I like to recommend this album to you. At least, the cover-artwork is beautiful but very trashy. A warrior is fighting against a dragon and in the background one can see a castle. Great!

Here comes SHAGGY from Sweden with their album "Lessons For Beginners", released in 1975, and I can only say that this were the hardest and heaviest band Swedish band together with Solid Ground and November! The price of the original vinyl pressing is now about 300 $, but only a very few have seen it, and I only own a bootleg CD. I think, there has never been an official re-release until now. The line-up was Thomas Engström (killer vocals!), Jan Gustavsson (bass), Jan 'Fidde' Rognas (lead & killer guitar!), Kurt Kästner (drums) and Thomas J. Ryan (organ). The group has been released only this album and nothing else.

First off, here's an excellent cover-artwork that shows a naked woman, lying under a gallow with a sunrise in the back. Beside there's the band playing, surrounded by mountains and Ufo's. Everything is painted very childlike, but that's what I like! But now more facts about the music. The album kicks off with "Destination Nowhere", a superfat opener with killer-guitars. Another extrem hard track is "Bitch", while the title track "Lessons For Beginners" is very organ-based. "I Can Feel" shows Fidde's talent of handling the acoustic guitar and the album closes with "Brink Of Nowhere", a progressiv Hardrock track very dreamy with Fidde's long guitar-solos and supported by the hammond organ towards the end. This is the longest track here with 7:30 minutes. If you find the album somewhere on CD take it, although the quality isn't the best but it's a killer!

During the group's lifespan, the USA band STONE GARDEN had released only one 7" ("Oceans Inside Me/Stop Me Thinking") that is included on the reissue CD on Gear Fab Records. As additional bonus "Oceans Inside Me" is here to find as a 'ripcord' version. whatever that means. In the Gear Fab booklet one can read the information that this group is comparable to the Rolling Stones, Cream and Jimi Hendrix but I can't agree to this. I would file them next to Steppenwolf, Grand Funk and/or Iron Butterfly. The outstanding track here is the 8 minutes long "Woodstick". After the organ-based opening the track turns into a real rocker with roaring wah-wah and fuzz guitars and a psychedelic part in the middle, while the ending is again full of heavy and spaced-out guitarwork.A true smasher! What I know to appreciate about this album is the guitarsound - very loud, distorted and on top of the entire mix. How sad that this band never released an album, but gladly Gear Fab Records is responsible for this CD that I like to recommend to everyone, although the sound isn't the best. The only lowlight is "SF Policeman Blues" that is totally different from the other tracks - what the hell is going on here!