We had to dig long and deep to exhume this superb and little-known albumby Swampgas from the Radioactive vaults.The album, which first saw the light of day in 1971, was originally releasedon the Buddah label (BDS 5102). The production credit goes to ArtieKornfeld (he of Wind In The Willows and The Artie Kornfeld Tree), withengineering by Shelly Yakus.The album is a real mix of musical genres, but the playing is immense,with guitarist Baird Hersey going from strength to strength as the recordprogresses. Check out the fast numbers, particularly Patato Strut andDon't, where the Hendrix influence is immediately apparent. But Baird justkeeps taking it further with superb acoustic and electric work throughout,culminating with some hypnotic sitar on Egg Shell. Acoustic David Crosbykeeps springing to mind. Hersey went on to release two further albums.Looking For That Groove from 1978 was an exploration of jazz rock,followed in 1980 by ODO OP8 FX which was very experimental in its use oftape loops, although the roots of both projects are evident to lesser orgreater extents here in Swampgas.Kim Ornitz's voice, often reminiscent of Tim Hardin, is also especiallyworthy of mention, and the tight, CSN-like vocal harmonies give the albuman early '70s fingerprint.You really can't go wrong with this album as it is a special find indeed. Analbum that will be loved my mellow West coasters everywhere.Five stars and no slack!Track Listing1. Patato Strut2. Don't3. The Waiting E Trin Blue4. Trapped In The City5. Eulogy6. Frotic Child7. Pala8. Egg Shells
