Various Brown Acid - The Twelfth Trip (CD)

(Riding Easy Records) 10 tracks, digipack

That's right, Riding Easy has now released a dozen editions featuring brilliant, long-forgotten, rare, and unreleased hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal tracks from the 60s and 70s. This has clearly become a genuine archaeological endeavor, as each new edition leads the listener to more exciting new discoveries. As with all previous releases in this series, these tracks have been carefully and legally licensed and the artists have been paid. Get comfortable and prepare for another deep, deep dive into the treasure trove of dark, underground, wild, and hairy rock ‘n’ roll with Brown Acid – The Twelfth Trip.
Here are a few examples of the treasures to be found here: The Waters begin this journey with swampy, fuzz- and phaser-soaked guitar duels that spring from the grooves of their 1969 single “Mother Samwell.” However, the trio from Louisville, Kentucky, somehow failed to make a big splash, releasing only two 45s, one in 1968 and this rock number the following year, before finally disappearing into obscurity in 1972. The bassist went on to play in Hank Williams Jr.'s band for several decades, so the band's legacy wasn't entirely lost. The second side begins with Ace Song Service, who probably thought they were pretty clever with their daring acronym name, but it's their B-side “Persuasion” that really gets A.S.S. going. Relentless drums, walking bass, breathtaking guitars, and shimmering Hammond organ shake the foundations, while crooning blue-eyed soul vocals remind the listener that we are still in the late 60s. The Trip ends with Dickens, whose 45 “Sho' Need Love” / “Don't Talk About My Music” is considered one of the holy grails of record collectors. The 1971 single exists only as a demo, pressed as a white-label promo for Scepter Records. Consisting of NRBQ's road crew and a few band members playing instruments they didn't know how to play, the recording basically came about by chance when studio time became available after Gomer Pyle actor and ballad singer Jim Nabors canceled a session. The group quickly recorded a few songs, which an enthusiastic A&R manager had pressed before the label president rejected the project and fired the vice president for allowing such nonsense. It is believed that only about 50 copies remain!