Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Twentieth Trip
Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Twentieth Trip
RidingEasy Records
Release date: 20/04/2025
Review by: Alun Jones
8/10
Aw, man! Another deadline missed. What’s this album? The latest Brown Acid comp from RidingEasy Records, OK. And when was it released? The twentieth of April??!! Oh right, yeah. Released on 4/20, of course. Very apt. Now I don’t even smoke the Devil’s Lettuce, but maybe I can use that as an excuse for my tardiness? Whaddya think? Sounds better than “the dog ate the review” or “I fell off my skateboard”. Yeah, that’s it. I must’ve been higher than Godzilla’s toupee and forgot to write this thing.
Let’s crack on. The Brown Acid series are compilations of sadly long-lost and forgotten songs from the late 60’s and 70’s, each the less successful step-sibling of the major Rock acts of the time. The songs are Garage Rock, Proto Heavy Metal would-be classics that fell through the cracks. Until, that is, RidingEasy Records unearthed them and saved them from obscurity.
So what’s up first on this latest release? It’s Afterflash with the Psychedellic Fuzz of ‘Cookbook’, where the band implore us to “feed our mind”. Good fun of the sort you can imagine Scooby Doo and the gang listening to in their van, but not the strongest song on this comp. Polvo are next with ‘Have You Ever Been There?” – I haven’t but I’d like to, it’s great early Hard Rock with a killer lead guitar solo. ‘Darkened Passage’ is gifted to us by Hot Candy, a Zeppelin-like Rocker that has a feel of ‘Communication Breakdown’. A highlight of the album and a genuine righteous moment.
The Brown Acid template widens again with Banana Bros ‘Suck You in’, a winning song with a super infectious Funk driven rhythm. Side One concludes with ‘Thank You For The Ride’ from another familiarly monikered troupe, The Jordan Brothers. This romping number is definitely the ear-worm of the set, with a chorus that’ll stick in your head for days.
Side Two opens with the crashing drums of Osage Lute. Their track ‘Watch ‘Em Shine’ has an electrifying sound not dissimilar to Mountain; catchy riffs and mind-expanding mellow sections included. Sandy Torano & The Nimo Spliff have the wildest name on this selection, and a wild Fuzz guitar intro on their song ‘A Year Ago Today’.
Lazy Day employ some skronky organ a la early Purple or Steppenwolf on ‘Don’t Dance In My Song’, but you’ll be hard pressed to stay still here! No idea what a ‘Hot and Tot Woman’ is, but Flavor do – and they throw in a Stooges-ish Proto Metal riff that you could proto-headbang to! Bringing things to a close this time around is Frozen Sun, with the Funky, Desert Rock of ‘Jamm Part 1’. Ideal for watching the sun set whilst you definitely don’t inhale any of the herb.
The Twentieth Trip has managed to offer a little more variety yet again, as the Brown Acid series goes from strength to strength. A genuinely good time listen, and very worthwhile exploring for any retro heads out there. Plus, listeners can gain kudos points for being familiar with ultra-rare underground Rock that their friends won’t have a clue about!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Afterflash – “Cookbook”
02. Polvo – “Have You Ever Been There? (Has Estado Ahi)”
03. Hot Candy – “Darkened Passage”
04. Banana Bros – “Suck You In”
05. The Jordan Brothers – “Thank You For The Ride”
06. Osage Lute – “Watch Em Shine”
07. Sandy Torano & The Nimo Spliff – “A Year Ago Today”
08. Lazy Day – “Don’t Dance In My Song”
09. Flavor – “Hot & Tot Woman”
10. Frozen Sun – “Jamm” (part 1)
LINKS:
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