Weird and essential psychedelic rock
Stephen F Mulcahy | United States | 03/15/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"mad river were an unjustly obscure bay area late 60's band -actually the group originated in yellow springs, ohio. the group played a wide variety of music- psychedelic rock, country, jazz, bluegrass,folk,and quite a few more. somebody once said, and correctly, that they were weird even for the time. mad river's first album is pretty demented, it was apparently recorded at the wrong speed. consequently, some of this may remind one of captain beefheart or frank zappa in places. the bizarre lyrics, crazy vocals, and insane guitars of tracks like THE WAR GOES ON, and AMPHETAMINE GAZELLE will probably astonish and delight listeners at the same time. mad river featured two strong vocalists in leader Lawrence Hammond, and drummer Gregory Dewey ( who later appeared in Country Joe and the Fish and Grootna), and solid if often challenging playing from rick bockner, dave robinson,and tom manning. mad river is a generally very good, if sometimes difficult first album, and one should also check out their e.p., available on the berkeley ep's cd in the nuggets of the golden state series from big beat. this includes early versions of AMPHETAMINE GAZELLE and WIND CHIMES from the debut, as well as a fine and eerie track called ORANGE FIRE (an anti-Vietnam song featuring some absolutely blistering guitar work) As this track is unavailable elsewhere, and the ep also contains some first rate work from country joe, frumious bandersnatch , and notes from the underground. Paradise bar and grill,the follow up, was even better. While ACADEMY CEMETERY (featuring some great percussion)and LEAVE ME STAY reminded listeners of their earlier work, overall the album was more reminiscent of , say, Creedence or the Band, particularly on the beautiful and brilliant title cut, COPPER PLATES, and REVOLUTION'S IN MY POCKETS. Nearly every track was excellent, and fans of the aforementioned bands, or "americana" music should definitely enjoy this disc. Unfortunately, Mad River broke up shortly before or after the album's release , and it only made it to 192 on the charts. If you like the Youngbloods, Quicksilver, or Country Joe, you should check out this highly underrated band. Definitely one of the better, more unusual, and more interesting late 60's San Francisco aggregations"
Well, real 'sychedelic man, real far out stuff
jayhikkss | 10/28/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Whenever I listen to the recorded legacy of Mad River, the words "psychedelic", "acid rock" and "drug induced" always spring to my mind. Drawing from a wide range of influences including country, bluegrass, ragtime, blues, eastern and avant-garde music, the band was able to fuse these elements into a starkly attractive "electric" sound, which is on a par with the best productions of the time. This sound was unique too, maybe hinting at contemporaries such as the Quicksilver Messenger Service or Country Joe & The Fish. Soon after their arrival on the West Coast, Mad River released an EP [re-issued on CD on "The Berkeley EP's"].
Later in 1967, Mad River released their magnificent, eponymous LP that was produced by Nik Venet. The music is dominated by the intertwined, heavily sustained electric guitar wailings of David Robinson and Rick Bockner and by the high-pitched voice of singer Lawrence Hammond going through dense, elaborate arrangements at an often fast - nay frantic - pace. Dissonant elements and stop/go rhythms are integrated in the mix. Combined with oblique lyrics, this gives the LP a kind of disquieting - some would say sinister - quality. The record attracted neither public nor critics in the USA, though. The critics were somewhat more attuned to the band in England from where I bought my (still mint) LP in 1968 based on a review, which appeared in the "Melody Maker". Discographical note: it has long been said, not least by the musicians themselves, that the tapes had been speeded up after the recording took place (this was, actually, a common practice with rock records). On the CD, the tracks originating from the first record have the same length as those included on my own copy of the LP. This suggests that the original production mixes have been used.
Their sophomore LP ("Paradise Bar and Grill") was put out in 1968 and produced by ex-Youngblood Jerry Corbitt. While the level of craftsmanship is ably maintained, this record sees the band unexpectedly shifting away from the psychedelia of their debut LP (and EP) to a much more relaxed, sometimes countryish sound with only a couple of tracks reminiscent of their earlier work. On this LP, there are also a couple of cameos by Jerry Corbitt, "Banana" Lowell Levinger, ... Although I feel that these tracks work quite well individually, the whole album is less easy to get into as a result.
The mastering is good but not to the point of bringing some added clarity to the sound when compared with the original vinyl. It appears that no remixing or extra tape research has been performed (nor is this implied in the liner notes). I wholeheartedly recommend this reissue to anyone interested in quality sixties West Coast music. I rate this CD **** (***** for the first LP and ***1/2 for the second LP).
"
Acid Kitchen of the Lost Souls
Golovanov Alexey | Limassol, Cyprus | 01/18/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Absolutely smashing band - it's irrelevant, whether it was acid or psychedelic. Next to it Country Joe shouldn't have stayed with the fishes, the Messenger could've been quick, but lost its way, while Stone Poneys were flogged to death.
The music is not as light as "Amphetamine Gazelle", but Hammond as honestly howling like predator who just ate it. That's just raving madness - absolutely captivating.
Nothing could be written better than Richie Unterberger did - Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' RollUrban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock
Both albums of the most overseen and underrated act of San Francisco Bay pack of acid trippers - it's a giveaway."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1