Haystacks Balboa

Formed in 1969 and closely tied to the Mountain camp, this powerful New York quintet was part of the same hard rock vanguard that defined the early '70s. Sharing stages with heavyweights like Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Ten Years After, and the Faces, they built a solid live reputation, yet widespread recognition always seemed just out of reach. Their lone, self-titled album - released in September 1970 - is a hidden gem of the era: raw, bluesy, and full of proto-metal fire. Though it never cracked the charts, it stands today as a lost classic of American heavy rock, now rightfully rediscovered by crate diggers and rock historians alike.