Psychfan's Trip O' Th' Week Dept. - Low Wattage Power Trios

Here are [indicates Psychfan - Ed.] two groups that have the classic power trio instrumental lineup but make no attempt to sound like ZZ Top or Cream. They do each feature those other power trio trademarks, a talented (and very active) bass player, overdubbed rythym [gotcha! - Ed.] guitars on their studio recordings and a strong lead guitarist.

The better of the two is a British band called Hard Meat [below - Ed.] and with a name like that they must be balls to the wall, right? Well, no. They're actually a very good psych band operating somewhat late in the day and with a name that puts off those who would like them and attracts those who will be disappointed by what they actually sound like.

Each of their two albums features one Dylan (Blond On Blond) and one Richie Havens cover and all four would be excellent contributions to tribute albums dedicated to those artists. The music overall reflects the commonly heard end-of-the-sixties blend of psych, prog and folk (in short, one of my sweet spots). These two albums are consistently enjoyable all the way through.

Eden's Children [above - Ed.] was from Boston and though they weren't part of the official Bosstown promotion they convey some of the same sense that they were recorded before they were ready and display a lot of potential that would never be realized. Guitarist and vocalist Richard Schamach plays very good acid guitar and incorporates a jazzy feel to several of the songs that make the band a  sound that could have developed into something great in time.  Bassist Larry Kiley is cited in every review I've read of this LP as  exceptional and I agree. Schamach's vocals are only a little better than passable but that wouldn't matter if the songs were better.

And that's the problem, the place where it all feels embryonic. The creative direction of the writing is fine but most of the songs just aren't strong enough. Follow up LP Sure Looks Real has better production and better songs (like the title track) but still doesn't quite satisfy.

Both of these bands are represented here by a bootleg CD containing the two LPs each of them made. As far as I know this is the only CD release for either band.

Eden's Children is interesting and should be included in any Best Of Bosstown comp but Hard Meat is a real missed opportunity and is recommended. Maybe they could retroactively change their name to Asparagus? [how about Soft Fruit? - Ed.]