The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
16
new
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THROBBING GRISTLE – PART TWO: THE ENDLESS NOT (REISSUE)
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: BETTY MOON – “CRAZY (WHAT YOU MAKE ME)”
SPILL FEATURE: LEARNING TO LIVE WITH MUSIC AGAIN – A CONVERSATION WITH JONAS SMITH & SØREN BÜHL OF BLAUE BLUME
SPILL NEWS: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD ANNOUNCE 2020 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
SPILL NEWS: THE USED ANNOUNCE INTIMATE 2020 TOUR WITH SUPPORT FROM DRAGGED UNDER
SPILL FEATURE: COLD WAR NIGHT LIFE – A CONVERSATION WITH TRACY HOWE OF RATIONAL YOUTH
SPILL FEATURE: THE DEADBEAT BANG OF HEARTBREAK CITY – A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES ALEX OF BEACH SLANG
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LÅPSLEY – THESE ELEMENTS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BE-BOP DELUXE – MODERN MUSIC (LIMITED EDITION DELUXE BOX SET)
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RODDY RICCH – PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ANTISOCIAL
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XXXTENTACION – BAD VIBES FOREVER
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RATIONAL YOUTH – COLD WAR NIGHT LIFE (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION)
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE WHO – WHO
SPILL FEATURE: DIFFERENT SONG, SAME MELODY – A CONVERSATION WITH GARY LIGHTBODY OF SNOW PATROL
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: STATIC-X w/ MUSHROOMHEAD, DOPE, WEDNESDAY 13 & RAVEN BLACK @ MYTH LIVE, SAINT PAUL (MN)
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: NOUS – “WORLD MAP ONE”
  • MORE
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • TOTD
  • Books + Movies
  • Scene Unseen
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • TOTD
    • Books + Movies
    • Scene Unseen
    • About
REGISTER
@
LOGIN
Album Reviews
757
Editor Pick
previous article
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: SULFUR CITY – "WAR GOING ON"
next article
SPILL TRACK OF THE DAY: ULTRVIOLENCE - RADIATION

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – BROWN ACID: THE SECOND TRIP

Brown Acid - The Second Trip

Various Artists
Brown Acid: The Second Trip
RidingEasy Records
RATING

You might just learn a thing or two…

Brown Acid “The Second Trip” is the second edition of a wildly successful compilation series. RidingEasy Records had the challenging task of tracking down a series of unique lesser-known bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s and compiled a rare look into the gritty sounds of “Proto-Stoner-Psych” singles from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s dirty, authentic, and follows the hype of the previous compilation with a raw in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll approach. It’s time to roll up a sweet Thai stick on your old album sleeve, put on some dusty oversized headphones and give this rare piece of rock history a spin.

Barresi stated on the RidingEasy Records website about the difficulty of putting the album together, “I essentially go through hell and high water just to find these records.  Once I find a record worthy of tracking, I begin the (sometimes) extremely arduous process of contacting the band members and encouraging them to take part. Daniel and I agree that licensing all the tracks we’re using for Brown Acid is best for everyone involved, (rather than simply bootlegging the tracks).” “When all of the bands and labels haven’t existed for 30-40 years or more, tracking down the creators gives all of these tunes a real second chance at success,” the site also states.

The album opens with “Midnight Witch” by Ash, originally released in 1970 on Havoc Records (New Zealand) and written by Doug Ford. A bold fuzzy barnburner that you’d be surprised wasn’t a young Ozzy, with its raw vocals, heavy bass lines combined with the gritty guitar chugs and wailing riffs. A vocal to guitar harmony I have a soft spot for makes an appearance throughout the song and is probably my favourite song on the album due to its early doom/stoner rock sound. Similar to the stylings of Sabbath or Pentagram and is a great way to start off this album.

Track two is “Warlords” by Sweet Crystal. This song is a little smoother than the prior with long hanging vocals that lead to a well-timed cackle all over electronic synthesized organs. Their sound could be compared to Deep Purple. It was originally released in 1977 on Fiddlers Music Company (United States).

Track three, “Rock and Roll Man,” lies somewhere between Jethro Tull and CCR as a classic rock ‘n’ roll guitar progression that makes you want to get up and dance. It’s a happy-go-lucky song with blues riffs that drive the song forward. It was originally released in 1973 on Criket Records (United States).

Next on the List is “TAKE IT!” by Crossfield. A repetitive track with a lot of sexual tension that evolves into a phaser-infused trance and topped off with a sweet little guitar lick. It was originally released in 1970 on Toy Toy Toy Records for your listening pleasure.

Track five is a real treat. This previously recorded track was from 1978 but remained unrealized until now. It’s titled “Bell Park Loon” and performed by Spiny Norman. If there’s one thing modern rock should be taking notes from this is it – we need more pan flutes! The rugged riffs blasting through a fuzzy guit-box combined with grainy vocals and sweeping pan flute solos creates a unique musical mixture that a real rock enthusiast can enjoy. It’s a shame it wasn’t released because I’m sure it would have been well received, but we can appreciate its experimental sound now.

The Glass Sun’s “Silence of the Morning” is up next. It’s a great sing-along headbanger with a hell of a drum fill in the middle that you can’t help but try and air drum along. Some standard guitar riffs and loud crashing cymbals are quite predominant throughout the song as they battle for sound with the Iron Butterfly-esque vocal lead. Its original release was in 1971 on Sound Patterns Records.

Following that is “Love to You” by Volt Rush Band and originally released in 1977 on Red Rock Records. It’s abrupt, loud and has a high-pitched mournful whine of a guitar over what sounds to be a blown out amplifier. Overall a good song with lyrics confessing the singer’s love to a girl but worth turning down a few notches to save your ear drums for the rest of the album.

Buck follows with “Long Hot Highway,” a track about living freely and was originally released in 1975 on Silk Banana Records. The road has been a common theme among classic rock, based usually on experiences of life on the road. This one, however, is about a man hitchhiking down a long hot highway trying to get a ride. The piece also features an electronic organ solo that fades out into the end of the song.

As the album comes to an end, in comes “Show Stopper” by Iron Knowledge. It contains high-pitched vocals over catchy bowing bass lines that keep the beat throughout. Its brassy lyrics over the instruments would be a fantastic opening song for a booming live show to really capture people’s attention and energize an audience. It was originally released in 1972 on Tammy Records.

The album finishes up with “Daybreak” performed by Sonny Hugg. An Immediate guitar hook draws you in and steady pace of percussion begins the song. This track is very vocal centric for me with a good range a howling chorus of “Daybreak!” There are also some respectable vocal harmonies. Underneath it all, along with your typical classic rock guitar solo, is an interesting funky jazz fusion-sounding keyboard that builds up the following guitar wails and bends. The final track was originally released in 1970 on Silo Records.

Overall this album is a true blast from the past. Bring to life a romantic look into the true raw sounds of classic rock ‘n’ roll that may have been overlooked from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s a treat to discover these fantastic bands that may have been overshadowed by some of the other greats of the era.  Anyone who has any interest in rock and especially loves the classics like Zeppelin and Sabbath need to pay Brown Acid a proper tribute. I will continue to play this album loud and proud and appreciate the hard work going into A.) tracking these songs down and B.) getting licensing permission from the wide variety of artists involved. I look forward to a third trip down rock ‘n’ roll lane in the future.

Side Note: Brown Acid Refers to the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when stage announcements were made by legendary radio disc jockey Wavy Gravy, telling people that some of the brown-coloured blotter acid (LSD) circulating the crowd was giving people negative hallucinations, causing freakouts.

RidingEasy Records Links:

band websitefbTwitter-iconinstagram-iconsoundcloud iconbandcamp

Editor Pick
Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – BROWN ACID: THE SECOND TRIP

Author

Dylan Weller

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
58.9
10
Total Spill Rating
58.9
Total Fan Rating
1 rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewsbell park loonbrown acid: the second tripdaybreakmidnight witchridingeasy recordsvarious artists
album reviews, bell park loon, brown acid: the second trip, daybreak, midnight witch, ridingeasy records, various artists
About the Author
Dylan Weller
Dylan Weller
Just a monkey in fancy threads with a passion for art, music & culture. Long live Rock n Roll! Dylanweller.com
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewsridingeasy recordsvarious artists
 
8.0
Throbbing Gristle

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THROBBING GRISTLE – PART TWO: THE ENDLESS NOT (REISSUE)

by Aaron Badgley on December 13, 2019
Throbbing Gristle  Part Two: The Endless Not (Reissue) Mute In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reformed after calling it a day in 1981. The original lineup put aside [...]
 
8.0
Låpsley
7.5

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LÅPSLEY – THESE ELEMENTS

by Giselle Hausman on December 6, 2019
Låpsley These Elements XL Recordings Rhythmic elements run through an ambient electronic and soulful sound which emanate from this four-track musical release. Unique beats and clicks keep [...]
 
9.0
Be-Bop Deluxe

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BE-BOP DELUXE – MODERN MUSIC (LIMITED EDITION DELUXE BOX SET)

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on December 6, 2019
Be-Bop Deluxe Modern Music (Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set) Esoteric From hero to zero and back again, yet just another of those standard rock stories. [...]
 
7.0
Roddy Ricch

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RODDY RICCH – PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ANTISOCIAL

by Jonathan Hazlewood on December 6, 2019
Roddy Ricch Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial Atlantic Roddy Ricch shows us just how good of an artist he is with his debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being [...]
 
6.0
XXXTentacion
3.8

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XXXTENTACION – BAD VIBES FOREVER

by Jonathan Hazlewood on December 6, 2019
XXXTentacion Bad Vibes Forever Empire XXXTentacion’s final posthumous album, Bad Vibes Forever, has finally been released. With a generous amount of 25 songs, it features artists [...]
Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THROBBING GRISTLE – PART TWO: THE ENDLESS...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LÅPSLEY – THESE ELEMENTS
8.0
7.5
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BE-BOP DELUXE – MODERN MUSIC (LIMITED EDI...
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RODDY RICCH – PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ...
7.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XXXTENTACION – BAD VIBES FOREVER
6.0
3.8
Latest Live Reviews
View All
 
Static-X

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: STATIC-X w/ MUSHROOMHEAD, DOPE, WEDNESDAY 13 & RAVEN BLACK @ MYTH LIVE, SAINT PAUL (MN)

by Scott Allen Cornell on December 4, 2019
162
 
The Dirty Nil

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL @ THE PHOENIX CONCERT HALL, TORONTO

by Matt Owczarz on November 28, 2019
86
 

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: JERRY LEGER & THE SITUATION w/ LINDY VOPNFJÖRÐ & MATTHEW BARBER @ LEE’S PALACE, TORONTO

by Bryan Williston on November 28, 2019
112
 
Beach Slang

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: BEACH SLANG @ QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE, TORONTO

by Freda Looker on November 26, 2019
17
 
Neon Indian

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: NEON INDIAN @ VELVET UNDERGROUND, TORONTO

by Andrew Wu on November 21, 2019
40
Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Spill Magazine Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2019 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SNOW PATROL – REWORKED
1775
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAVE EAST – SURVIVAL
745
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALTER BRIDGE – WALK THE SKY
665
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PATRICK WATSON – WAVE
623
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – TRAVELIN’ THRU, 1967-1969: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 15
539
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RINGO STARR – WHAT’S MY NAME
506
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RONNIE WOOD WITH HIS WILD FIVE – MAD LAD: A LIVE TRIBUTE TO CHUCK BERRY
501
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WALTER DEBARR – WE FALL, WE BREAK
385
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: MYLES GOODWYN @ HUGH’S ROOM LIVE, TORONTO
358
 
SPILL FEATURE: DIFFERENT SONG, SAME MELODY – A CONVERSATION WITH GARY LIGHTBODY OF SNOW PATROL
350
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLUTENGEL – DAMOKLES
346
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: STARSET w/ PALISADES, HYDE & A BRILLIANT LIE @ VARSITY THEATRE, MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
344
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: COLD w/ AWAKE FOR DAYS & TIME KEEPER @ FINE LINE MUSIC CAFE, MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
339
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES