Mad River • Mad River (Capitol, 1968)

Re-entry to this Universe while relatively easy is not without the common malady of jet lag. Unlike my previous post on concerning a unpleasant headache and deciding what to listen to, here the body is merely affected. As such, all one has to do endure a small bother by putting on a CD and then sitting back down. What I have been listening to while the stitches to my skull heal (You didn't think the trip was made with this physical body did you? Oh no, the mind only need go. Anyhow, the human form is woefully inadequate there. Many more glands are needed) is Mad River's first LP.

While in a state of limited mobility that I could follow the brutal intricacy's of the band. Musically they are not unlike The Magic Band; lurching start stop rhythms played by guitars that seem at odds with each other. It's Lawrence Hammond's vocal approach that adds just the right touch of oddness. He has a quivering tone as close to a Banshee as any man could get. Mournful pleading with occasional hints of outrage.

Over all the LP's a heavy affair. Even though it came out during the height of Psychedelia, the end result is closer to Noh theater music than Black Sabbath. There's no reliance of simple blues based minor chord riffing here to get the point across. Even the final song with it's simple acoustic guitar melody doesn't give you a sense of closure, just that merely the album has stopped.

After this there was a second LP: "Paradise Bar and Grill (1969). Overall it's a more mellow and professional affair. The songs have a discernible middle eight / guitar solo structure. This may be due to the general country feel of the album. There are a few freaky tracks that recall the greatness of the previous LP, but you would swear it's a different band. Not a bad album to have, but not as essential.

There are a few reissues of this LP on CD. One came out on Edsel records in the 80's. This is taken from an slightly crackly vinyl copy. After that I assume Capitol put out a reissue, as they has reissued the second (and final) LP, but I haven not seen this version. Most recently, Collectors Choice put both LP's on one CD, but left out the EP done by the band before they signed to capitol. I haven't heard the Collectors Choice edition, since I have both albums on two different CD's. It's a safe guess that the sound quality is better then the Edsel or Capitol reissues since they are becoming a noted quality reissue label.

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