Rapscallion - Rain And Shine / Just A Rapscallion. 1979 USA-Cleveland

Rapscallion were one of many great AOR / hard rock bands hailing from Cleveland, a mecca for the blue collar muscular sound. The A) side mixes some heavy riffing with acoustic guitars and harmony vocals. It's way too raw to make inroads into the corporate FM sound, but the attempt is admirable. B) side has a Rush meets Styx vibe. Features a killer guitar mid song break. These guys had the right sound at the right time, but didn't catch the break. Pity that.

1/9/25

The Chylds - No More Tears / Grey Days. 1968 USA-Ohio

From Canton, Ohio. Above average soulful hard rocking psych. What separates this from the normal 60s psych 45 is the use of Hammond organ. Much more common to hear a Vox or Lowery or any other cheaper variety. B) side offers a slight tilt eastward adding a bit of exoticism. A very good two sider and surprisingly not comped.

12/24/20 (first listen); 2/13/24 (review / new entry)

Brother Love - Rock n' Roll Band / Bluebird. 1972 USA-Ohio

The A) side rips the main theme from the Stones but has a cool fuzz tone. As you might imagine, much of it is bar n' roll music. With an added mandolin solo(?). The B) side is 70s soft pop, good for the Andy Williams Show. Brother Love managed to get out six singles and one LP in their lifetime. All obscure.

12/31/23

Silverhorse – Weariness / Lady Marian. 1980 USA-Cleveland

Starting off very much in the same territory as Kansas' 'Carry On Wayward Son', Silverhorse's sole release promises eight minutes of hard rock / prog / AOR. And that's pretty much what you get. More stripped down - no violins or keyboards to get in the way. But dual guitars and harmony vocals are very much accounted for. It appears they're from the Cleveland area, and their sound is hardcore Midwest club circuit. Grab it if you see it.

Ownership: SP: 1980 Thoroughbred. Recent online acquisition (2023). There is a picture sleeve, but my copy doesn't have it. It's obscure but not enough to qualify for the Unknown Vinyl blog.

5/24/23 (first listen / review / new entry)

Quimm - Indian Woman / Rock God. 1972 USA-Ohio

From Marietta. A) side is a soft MOR-ish ballad. The B) side opens with ominous organ and lightly strummed electric guitar. And then it breaks into a Uriah Heep like heavy rocker with organ, riffing guitar chords, and David Byron like vocals. A killer little track. This is the side that makes it a keeper.

Ownership: SP: 1972 Revelation. Online purchase (2021).

4/19/21 (first listen); 12/11/21 (review / new entry)

Strongbow - If You're Goin to the City / Change. 1973 USA-Columbus

This is the same Strongbow who released a well respected album a couple of years later. This single predicts their future sound, as it's similar in construct. Neither tune is on the album proper. The A) side is good times rock n' roll, not so interesting of a tune, but features absolute bitchin' Hammond organ and electric guitar solos. Mariano Rivera is in the house - and got a save! The B) is a much more interesting tune based on an organ dirge, that also has some splendid guitar soloing. This is a good two sider worth seeking out.

Ownership: SP: 1973 Epodus. Online acquisition (2021)

5/4/21 (first listen); 12/11/21 (review / new entry)

Zed Pawl - Back Seat Boogie / From This Side. 1981 USA-Columbus

Zed Pawl were a hard rock band from Marion, Ohio (north of Columbus) and were somewhat typical of the underground at that time. The title of a) doesn't inspire much confidence that this will be anything special, but it's actually the highlight. Excellent hard rock, with a rough guitar sound, and piercing vocals. There's also a couple of odd progressions that recall Rush's Permanent Waves. The flip side borrows from another major act of the era, that of The Who. It's good, but doesn't live up to the promise of 'Back Seat Boogie'.

Ownership: SP: 1981 Blue Ash. Online acquisition (2020). Both sides say Side A, though the catalog number clearly distinguishes which is which. 

7/6/20 (first listen); 5/16/21 (review / new entry)

Luxus - Brown Matter / The Thinker. 1977 USA-Cleveland

An exciting new find here! Based on very recent data (as in since I purchased this only a few months ago), it appears Luxus were from Cleveland and they recorded this one single (33 RPM) in 1977. It's 12 minutes long, so an EP length really. And what a 12 minutes! This is such a bullseye for the Midwestern progressive rock sound, it practically defines it. Starts off a bit slow on 'Brown Matter' with a proggy AOR ballad like sound. Have no fear, as once the guitar gets to riffing, we never turn back. Brilliant proggy hard rock, with complex meters and great solos. This is only the setup to the sublime 'The Thinker'. No messing around this time, as the guitar gets to blazing right away. Rush seems to be an influence here, which is a little early for that band's influence to begin creeping into the garage. The progressions are more complex though, similar to Yes, Gentle Giant, or even Yezda Urfa. It's hard rock in the same way as Seiche or UHF, that is to say this is thinking person's heavy music for sure (as the title indicates) - but it's also mid 70s progressive rock in spirit. Keyboards play a minor role, mostly what sounds like an ARP string synth. It's the killer guitar breaks and solos that makes this one so special. Would be great if they had more material. It would be considered a top tier archival release for sure.

Ownership: SP: 1977 M.T.R. Online acquisition. 

4/23/20 (first listen); 7/20/20 (review / new entry)