Brown Acid
The Fourth Trip
(RidingEasy Records)
I promise I will try not to make this about me as much as possible, but as any psychonaut can tell you a trip will always be intensely subjective and personal. With a harrowing journey adventuring in Portland fresh on my mind (and blistered feet) I seemed to take on the baggage of my current “set and setting,” to borrow some jargon from Dr. Leary, while I dosed the most recent in RidingEasy Records’ compilation of rare garage psych from the hippie era. This specimen in particular is The Fourth Trip, and as far as recommendations go, I would advise the reader to forego the ominous warning from Woodstock. Go ahead and take the brown acid, especially if you like to freak out.
This compilation album starts out hard and heavy with Kanaan’s “Leave It.” Hard hitting and driving tune that sets the stage for the symphony of hard rock to come. Next up is Stone Garden’s with “Oceans Inside Me.” This tasty deep cut is definitely a ruby amongst diamonds in the rough. A sort of sinister Syd Barrett-esque freak out psychedelia with just a tinge more of the heavily ominous in it’s air. This album is definitely suited for work out routines, hiking, cycling or late night drives or long road trips. A sonic time capsule perfectly outfitted to enliven any smoking session, as well as it’s release date the 20th of April suggests.
There’s something about this whole collection that reeks of the unknown and adventure, the thrill of the discovery, this is the spirit of garage rock preserved in amber. Bungi’s “Numbers” is a personal fave. Just a well-written, solid, hard rock song that presages Boston and other arena style hard rockers. Grungey, distorted, bluesy and heavy from track to track, if you’re into that kind of thing.
“The Train” by Erving Forbrush is a load of fun. Having just made it back from a somewhat badly planned “working vacation” to the Northwest, the sensation of riding the train fresh on my mind the simple ditty appeals. “I’m gonna ride the train, I’ll ride the train, I’m a man of means, yes I”ll ride the train.” No man of means, I, but if I can’t afford an Amtrak ticket to the next station I can at least reach for the Brown Acid and take a trip with Erving in my mind.
According to the label themselves: “You’ll win the lottery before you find copies of all of the original 45s in even the best record stores. Many of the records included in this volume are owned only by the members of the bands and some of the band members don’t even have personal copies. That’s just how hard these guys hit it back in the day! We’re lucky some of these guys are still alive and well enough to give us permission to use their masters.” It was obvious from the first spin (though future spins were justified as essential to the cranking out of this review) that RidingEasy Records had gone through the greatest pains not only in acquiring but in mastering and compiling this collection. For fans of stoner metal and hard psychedelia and lovers of rare 45’s from the flower child era alike, picking up this one is a must.
