RAMzine 27 | Avatar, Festival Flashbacks, Sister Shotgun

By Tom Dixon
Select six songs from the seventies was the brief. A seemingly impossible task as that decade saw the
growth of heavy rock, glam rock, the rise of punk and the early stages of the New Wave Of British Heavy
Metal. It was also the decade when I heartily embraced music and beer as I entered my teens. So, rather
than state the obvious Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Heep, Tull, etc. I have selected six of the deserving but
relatively unrecognised bands that embody that innovative and, at times, challenging decade.
1
2
3
4
5
6
SOCRATES DRANK THE CONIUM
They took all that was good about the burgeoning underground rock scene, added quirky vocals and
some absolutely delightful, imaginative and addictive riffs, bass playing and soloing that makes the
whole album an enlightening experience. Their self-titled debut is a must-have and is a rock classic that
should be recognised; From this album, I chose the fabulous ‘It’s A Disgusting World’ that brings Cream/
Heep/Budgie together in a blissful seven-minute treat of excellence. (Just beware the, then unknown,
Vangelis contributed to their fourth album Phos and destroyed their individuality.)
JODO
Jodo album Guts is something special from a British band produced by Derek Lawrence and engineered
by Martin Birch. They’re seriously heavy blues rock with a quality that will forever make me
wonder how this great album only saw release in New Zealand and the US, although I managed to find
a CD reissue. The track, ‘One Night Stand’, is quality rock and could easily be an outtake from Green
Bullfrog.
PRIMEVIL
Primevil were a short-lived Indiana band and the brilliant ‘Your Blues’ from Smokin’ Bats At Compton
is a wonderful blues workout that sounds like Free were in their minds at the time. The guitar solo is
genius and it’s a shame they never did anything else.
FUZZY DUCK
Fuzzy Duck were a London band that may have been a bit Purple Heep, but their individuality still
shone through on their self-titled and only album. Difficult to choose just one, but try the fiery and
expansive ‘Mrs Prout’ to experience premium heavy rock with a bit of prog thrown in.
FLIED EGG
Flied Egg were a Japanese band with a sense of humour and their heavy rock debut, Doctor Seigel’s
Fried Egg Shooting Machine (yes, really) was an understated and fascinating guitar and Hammond
treat. Listen to the weird but lovely ‘Guide Me To The Quietness’ to hear a broad and entertaining pallet.
TOE FAT
Toe Fat wasn’t just a strange choice of band name; in fact, with Cliff Bennett at the helm, the band
should have succeeded. The first album had future Heep and Tull members but from the second
album, the brilliant ‘Three Time Loser’ was very Creamy but shows their weight and illustrates how
many of us missed out.
So, here are six exceptional ideas for your Spotification (other streamers available) although
(according to my iTunes) I could have listed 5,761! I hope you’ll agree that introductions to ‘new’ old
bands is better than rehashing the lists so many sites and magazines seem to think add to our musical
knowledge and scope.
9