Brown Acid - The First Trip

Legendary compilations like Nuggets, Pebbles, ad nauseum, have exhausted the mines of early garage rock and proto-punk, keeping alive a large cross-section of underground ephemera. However, few have delved into and expertly archived the wealth of proto-metal, pre-stoner rock tracks of 'Brown Acid: The First Trip'. Lance Barresi, co-owner of L.A.-cum-Chicago shop Permanent Records has shown incredible persistence in tracking down a stellar collection of rare singles from the 60s and 70s for the 11-track compilation. Partnered with Daniel Hall of Riding Easy Records, the two have assembled a selection of songs that's hard to believe have remained unheard for so long. 'Brown Acid: The First Trip' opens with the slithering buzzsaw guitars and hard-rock howl of Zeke's' 'Box', a monster that gives Blue Cheer a run for their leaden blues. Snow sways into 'Sunflower' with a touch of Steppenwolf's swagger and wind-in-their-hair wildness. Elsewhere, Zebra proves they were 'Wasted' with a soul-inflected groove, while Bob Goodsite leans in on his wah-wah and phaser pedals, determined to out-Hendrix Jimi himself on 'Faze.' Raw Meat's 'Stand By Girl' serves up a fierce, stomping riff intercut with Iron Butterfly style operatics. Bacchus kicks out a hostile sounding boogie, demanding to 'Carry My Load.' Josefus caps it all off nicely with a hooky power-pop meets Bob Seger System meets Lollipop Shoppe anthem with the undeniably catchy chorus, "hard luck - keep truckin'!" It's a fantastic set of unknown hits you can't believe failed to connect back in their heyday due to various unfortunate circumstances. But now in 2015, 'Brown Acid: The First Trip' gives these long-lost gems their well deserved moment to shine.LP - Super limited Clear Purple Vinyl.