Sky - Living Machine / The Quest Of The Silver Sea. 1977 USA

Sky is a tough moniker to search in this day and age. And not much data is forthcoming about this particular Sky. It's been suggested the year to be 1977, though I wouldn't be surprised to know it's from the early 80s. There's a bit of that NWOBHM influence though it's not heavy enough to call metal. The music is hard rock, with some Hawkwind influence. Which is likely the inspiration for the fantasy titled B side, and perhaps even the A side really. It's also the stronger of the two tracks here. The music isn't very catchy but it does have that period charm.

3.5

Pegasus - Honeysuckle Willow Bridge / Turkey Dove. 1972 USA

No one knows where this Pegasus hails from, but what we have here is a killer two-sider of heavy guitar and organ rock. I also like the impassioned higher pitched vocals. These guys would have made it big were they from England during this era. I'd be willing to bet that this particular Pegasus is from somewhere in the Midwest, especially since it was pressed in Cincinnati. They also have that early Poobah thing going, along with dozens of other regional bands. The organ is always a welcome addition.

Kasino - Get Bent / Gun Slinger. 1978 USA ~ Harrisburg, Pennyslvania

Kasino has this sort of retro Grand Funk Railroad sound going on here. More 1974 than 1978. The rhythms and disposition are more like straightforward funk rock but the guitarist turns on the fuzz as if it's the late 60s. What a great tone. You wish for the guitarist to really let loose for an extended jam but he never quite does. Nonetheless this is a solid two sider.

4.0

Freeway – Out On The Road (...And Out Of Our Minds) / Streamline. 1980 USA ~ New York

Freeway puts a lot more meat on the bone than your usual hard rock band at this stage. This is late era hard rock right at the cusp of the metal movement, but not quite crossing that threshold. Two well-penned tunes with plenty of guitar fire and cool breaks. Solid, if not exceptional.

3.5

Enalpria – Rose Water / Shredded Heart. 1969 USA ~ Florida

And here we have their second 45. Yet another advanced release for the date. Superb psychedelic rock also mixes in some jazzy sequences, notable in the electric piano work. The B) has a haunting organ beginning, perhaps a Krautrock element is being brought forth. Enalpria weren't that creative yet, and the music moves into more of a pop psych direction. Still with some fine electric piano playing. Excellent band to my ears.

Enalpria – Speed Limit / Sliding. 1970 USA ~ Florida

The name Enalpria is simply Airplane spelled backwards. At least they tried for some originality. The group managed to get out three singles between 1967 and 1970, this being their last. The A) side is an excellent example of North American hard rock. Features a jamming Hammond and ripping fuzz guitar. Sort of Grand Funk Railroad and Rare Earth mixed together. The B) side introduces flute, and the music sounds more like something you'd hear in Italy during this era. I suppose Jethro Tull will enter the conversation, but the style of the music recalls some of the heavier bands emerging out of Continental Europe. Think early Osanna or even Germany's Fashion Pink. Advanced thinking for 1970. Superb two sider.

Alexander – I Want You / Just Keep Holding On. 1979 USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

If you'd ever wondered what it would be like if Michael Jackson fronted a hard rock band (and who wouldn't think of that?), Alexander gives you an opportunity to realize that possibility. That's the a) side. The b) side tones it all down for a rural soft rocker, similar to the Eagles, though the vocals are slightly more masculine here. Since both tracks are credited to a one Eric Alexander, we can presume he's the mover and shaker here. And likely lead vocalist, though I can't be certain the first side wasn't from a female. Didn't get too much out of this two sider.

3.0 / 2.0

4/18/26

Blackrock - Blackrock "Yeah, Yeah" / Bad Cloud Overhead. 1971 USA ~ Memphis, Tennessee

Two driving hard funk tracks, mostly instrumental, with some narrative singing on the b). Good guitar and organ. Solid rhythm with the bass work standing out. Not much psych unfortunately, purely funk rock. 

3/8/26 (new entry)

Ning - Machine / More Ning. 1971 England

Someone must've thought Ning was going to be the next big thing. It does rhyme, have to give them that foresight. Discogs shows no less than ten pressings around Europe, US, and Turkey. 

The a) side is fairly heavy in sound though musically it's pretty simplistic with somewhat annoying vocals. Cowbell opens the b) side ('Morning' yuk yuk) which leads to a laid back, almost Allman Brothers like instrumental jammer. Features a nice mid song riff and good soloing. Organ also plays a major role. I like this 45, though I didn't hear any commercial potential myself.

Pic sleeve shown is the German version. I haven't run into this title yet, but since there are three domestic pressings (no pic sleeve for the US versions), I'll probably find it (and keep it).

1/4/26 (new entry)

Catch - In The Garden / Brand New Day. 1974 USA ~ Chicago, Illinois

Another title that has a lot of misdirection on the ole WWW. Unknown soul funk gem is the screaming headline. Not really. The a) side is an excellent proggy hard rock track with loads of organ and guitar. The flip is a bit more poppy until they slide back into some more prog jam goodness. Plenty of early Santana references. This is a very good title, though I would think funk folks wouldn't be overly impressed. This is more in my strike zone.

4.0

12/10/25 (new entry)

Preserving the following from band member Jeff Beckler in case it gets wiped away some day: "I was in this band, we recorded it at Universal studios in Chicago. We were all from the Chicago area. It was 1974, the music was done in one take, and the vocals were added in one take. There were six people in the band. Lead guitar Rich Knoble, key boards Robert Blum, drums Mike Kariosha, Bass Tony Zerkawitz and 2 percussion and lead singers Chuck and Jeff Beckler along with the lead guitarist Rich Knoble. This group formed after originally being called The Looking Glass.When the New York looking Glass came out with The hit song Brandy , the group broke up and reformed its style into more progressive funk style of music. 2 years later we broke up and all went separate ways."

The Smoke Ring - Heavy Metal Whale / Triangle. 1972 USA ~ Nebraska

The Smoke Ring were a Nebraska 60s pop act. Their final 45 (of many) looks more promising than it is. However, there seems to be some misdirection about it as well. Discogs has a note that the a) side is Reggae. Nope. It sounds like War with the addition of steel drums. The b) side is labeled as Pop. RYM does similar. Nope. To me it sounds like a typical North American early 70s hard(er) rock track with harmony vocals and a lot of Hammond organ. Not bad at all.

12/10/25 (new entry)

Earth Opera - Colorado / Kick'en Back. 1976 USA ~ Colorado

Hard to imagine two bands with the name Earth Opera, but here it is. And the other group was relatively well known from the 60s, so it's a rather strange choice. Perhaps they thought they could get away with it buried way out in the desolate ranch lands of eastern Colorado. I mean, seriously, Otis is in the middle of nowhere. I live in the state and I've never even heard of it.

They actually squeaked out an album as well, and both of these tracks are on it. The reviews that I read about the album are pretty harsh, but I didn't find these two tracks so bad. Both fit into the mid 70s hard rock zone, with a little bit of dude posturing. There are no extended solos to help the lack of songwriting. Perhaps the 45 length makes it more tolerable?

It's from Colorado, so I'll keep it.

3.0 / 3.5

Own.

9/4/25 (new entry)

T.M.L. - Should Have Done Better / Can’t Take It No More. USA ~ Chicago, Illinois

A) side is a moderately paced driving song with a scratchy sound and a nice fuzz break. Chorus is overlong. B) side is more moody. Organ is a distinguishing feature. Seems the latter track is going to break out into a proggy bit but always holds back. Sort of like Procol Harum I suppose.

3.0 / 3.0

4/20/25 (review)

Amber Band - Keep It Burning / I'm So Confused. 1980 USA ~ San Diego, California

A) side has a hard driving riff though the song is 70s classic rock in construct. I liked the B) side better which contains soft flute and more than a nod to fellow Californians Ambrosia. Nice piece of yacht rock.

3/3.5

4/11/25 

Orchid - Go Big Red / Act Naturally. 1973 USA ~ Wisconsin

Orchid were high school kids from Edgerton, Wisconsin between Madison and Janesville. 'Go Big Red' has become noteworthy due to its appearance on one of the many Bonehead comps out there. To me 'Go Big Red' means the University of Nebraska, but it turns out to be both a high school anthem as well as a tribute to the University of Wisconsin's hockey team. What makes the track great are the freaky guitar solos, though the song is lacking. The B) side is more of a country rocker. 

3/2/25

Cherry People – Sea And Me / Come on Over. 1971 USA ~ Washington, D.C.

At one point I had Cherry People's first single from 1968 and my notes there stated: "Saccharine pop for the psych era. Safe for the whole family. "As seen in Better Homes and Gardens" one can predict. 'Imagination' has some trippy effects, so not too bad on the whole. But this is miles away from the best groups of the genre such as The Free Design. Not keeping."

'Sea and Me' is an interesting shift of sound from this DC based band. Here they are peddling early 70s styled North American hard rock. Nice guitar work though the tune lacks any kind of memorable melodies. Still it would be interesting to hear a whole album of music like this.

3/2/25

Young Presidents - Mac-10 Morning / Not In Love. 1987 USA ~ Monterey, California

Average anthem hard rock with a slight metal tone. The wildcard here is the use of harmonica, not an instrument we typically here in music such as this. One presumes they used a lot of hairspray, but the vintage photos show them looking more like Huey Lewis and the News. Some older clips show saxophone as well, so it appears they really weren't metal at all. Band is still active as I enter this post.

2/5 / 2.5

3/2/25

Energy - Nowhere to Hide / Fight For Your Freedom. 1983 England

Though labeled as part of the NWOBHM scene, you'll be looking for the data on supporting the metal claim. More like a punky hard rock, though the B) side does feature some thoughtful instrumental work.

Found this for a buck at a local vintage shop. Tempting to keep this because I'm a fan of the movement. But this one is just too blase for me. It does not appear that the album listed ever came out.

2/2/25

Hatterfox – Lonely Tonight / Holdin' On. 1981 USA-Alabama

From Hunstville, Hatterfox played a mix of hard rock and AOR. This 45 is their debut, a year before their sole LP. Neither of these tracks made it to the album.  After hearing this 45, I'd submit the album is probably worth giving a listen. Despite the origin of the group, Hatterfox are not Southern rock in the slightest. They have their eye on the national charts, and the music plays to that. They have some talent, but neither song has a memorable hook. The vocalist isn't very dynamic. Decent dual guitar work. Overall it sounds more like something from a few years earlier, but now with synth pop in the limelight, bands like Hatterfox needed to slick it up a bit. And it's nowhere near heavy enough to be an underground hard rock classic. Yea it's just too 70s for the 80s I'm afraid.

3/3

1/9/25 (first listen / review)

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