![]() ![]() It was an Americanised brand of rock that had very little to do with the first British Invasion and drew upon their own rich musical heritage. Sounding crisper and sharper than anything they’ve ever recorded before, Cactus proves themselves a tight unit and One Way…Or Another benefits from placing Tim Bogert’s bass more prominent in the mix, which definitely adds vim to the band’s swagger.īy the time this album was released, Cactus had formulated a sound that was all their own. As with their debut, this record contained two covers, and it’s one of those, an earth-shaking version of ‘Long Tall Sally’ that kicks off this opus, but it’s ‘Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like’ where the band really come into their own. Following their debut by a mere seven months, their second album finds them more confident in their powers and moving beyond heavy blues to incorporate elements of soul and funk. It never ceases to amaze me, the rapidity with which bands released albums in the ‘70s (as opposed to today when bands spend aeons recording records) and cactus struck while the iron was hot with One Way…Or Another. Bolstered by four booming bonus tracks, this is the ultimate proto-heavy metal album. With Appice’s tumultuous drum work and McCarty’s demonic riffs, Cactus is often overlooked when people discuss the development of heavy metal, and this reissue only heightens that anomaly. But Cactus’ sway radiates far and wide and you can hear where Robb Reiner (Anvil) learned his chops in ‘Feel So Good’ and Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing owes a debt to ‘Let Me Swim’. It’s hard to know if Zeppelin were influenced by this record, but their II certainly shares a lot of similarities with this album. This album gets the upper hand because Cactus put their own spin on the genre, and the two covers the band wrestle with (the aforementioned ‘Parchman Farm’ and Willie Dixon’s ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover’) become whole new beasts. Released around the same time as Led Zeppelin’s sophomore album, I’d argue that Cactus is the far superior release, and its take on the blues is far more authentic. The pair create an interesting foil, with each acting as a mirror to highlight and enhance the other. However, Cactus fully understood the nuances of musical dynamics, and the following ’My Lady From South Of Detroit’ is the calm after the storm and rocks a Neil Young vibe. It all adds up to an intense listening experience, and one that had rarely been surpassed at that juncture. It’s a high-octane, no-holds-barred slab of rhythm and blues which pushes all the needles into the red as Rusty Day supplements his raspy vocals with some swirling harmonica. I’m sure that opening cut ‘Parchman Farm’ had many a rocker spilling their cans of Party Seven when Carmine Appice’s thunderous drum roll appeared alongside Jim McCarty’s dexterous fretwork. Nowadays we’ve become desensitised to heavy music, so it’s hard to emphasise just how ground-breaking (quite literally) Cactus’ eponymous debut was. Those albums have been collected (many with bonus cuts) along with four live discs and compiled as Evil Going On: The Atco Albums 1970-1972, a mammoth eight disc set that demands some long overdue re-evaluation. Like many pioneers they never got due credit, but the four studio albums released during their original tenure still sound fresh and exciting, five decades later. Formed from the ashes of Vanilla Fudge in 1969, this New York quartet were the inspiration for heavy metal, stoner, psych rock, and pretty much any band who played scuzzy riffs through a Marshall amp. The drum and bass groove plus the cool guitar riff rock!! Cool melodies on top make this is a great Classic Heavy Blues Rock track.There are some bands whose influence stretches far beyond record sales and other such measures of “success”, and Cactus are one such band. Watch the video for “Tightrope” – and purchase and stream the album at the links below.Īppice had this to say about the song, “‘Tightrope’ is one of my favorite songs from the album. Cactus, often cited as “The American Led Zeppelin”, have released their high-flying new album, Tightrope, on all formats today! Founding member and drum legend Carmine Appice, leads this dynamic quintet that includes longtime Cactus vocalist Jimmy Kunes, new lead guitarist Paul Warren (ex-Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker), who also co-wrote and co-produced the album, Randy Pratt on harmonica, and James Caputo on bass. ![]()
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