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

Various Artists
Brown Acid: The Tenth Trip
RidingEasy Records

You’ve got to hand it to RidingEasy Records! To be able to come up with 10 editions of Brown Acid, their heavy, psych, fuzz, proto-metal series in less than five years) is a feat in itself. Quality or no quality.

Fortunately, the quality almost always dominates with this series, and The Tenth Trip is no exception. There are almost no duds this time around, but then that always depends on the taste of the listener.

With all the tracks here, as well as for the previous edition of the series one big question looms. Why did bands such as Grand Funk Railroad or Kiss get such big credit for a sound that many others produced before them, just as well, and sometimes even better? Back then it was all to the word of mouth or possibly catching a tune by chance on FM radio late at night with some extra fuzz and hisses. No internet, YouTube, or Facebook. Most of these tunes ended up only with the band, family, friends and school acquaintances.

For most of the tracks on The Tenth Trip, it should certainly have been otherwise, particularly the standouts like the truly fuzzed-up Sounds Synonymous and their “Tensions”, or Tabernash and their heavier version of The Byrds’ sound on “Head Collect”.

One for the car with all the windows rolled down.

RidingEasy Records Links