Album review: V/A – We’re An American Band – US Hard Rock Scene 1967-73 (3 CD Boxset)

Cherry Red Records [release date: 23.06.23]

This 4 hour, 3 CD, 62 track package ends with Grand Funk’s ‘We’re An American Band’ (1973). A game changing challenge to the music establishment of the time. A band of the people, a down to earth, blue collar rock band who sold out the Shea Stadium in a record breaking 72 hours (don’t tell the Beatles).

Everything that came in the six years prior to the album of the same name seemed to lead to that point.

In late sixties’ USA, the reverberations of the Vietnam War ushered in a new era of rock’n’roll.
It was also as much of a hangover from the summer of love. The hippy dippy flower power philosophising had hardened into the big amp, distorted guitar sound of bands like Blue Cheer (Summertime Blues), Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly Theme), Vanilla Fudge (Ticket To Ride) and many others.

Among those “many others”, several artists had much on their mind. The MC5 launched the primal musical scream of their career off the last days of the counterculture. The band’s controversial first single ‘Kick Out The Jams’ (which appears here) was recorded live in Detroit in 1968, produced by Bruce (The Doors/ Love) Botnick.

The same dynamism powered the Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. The track has considerable history, and a contemporary presence that reboots every time the movies, “Transporter”, “Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels” and “Reservation Dogs” gets another TV viewing. And with at least a dozen cover versions, inc Slayer, Sonic Youth and Sid Vicious getting frequent airings, it has become a key piece of music in the soundtrack of rock’n’roll history.

Radio had got on board and was playing and popularising the many other groundbreaking bands who pioneered this step change. They are all here:

The legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service (Pride Of Man), Blues Magoos (Chicken Wire Lady), Todd Rundgren’s first band, Nazz (Under The Ice), and Rundgren’s own ‘Is It My Name’; an early, garage rock track from Alice Cooper (Fields Of Regret). Early Heavy Metal influencers, Mountain (Mississippi Queen) and many many more.

And it would seem irresponsible not to mention that Love, Frijid Pink, Spirit, Steppenwolf, Arthur Lee and Blue Oyster Cult all feature here too.

Few colour snapshots in musical time could be more vivid or more memorable.

***** (at least).

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)