Max, from Montreal, QC originally known as Dawn, before Tony Orlando & Dawn forced a name change kick things off with Run Run from their lone 1970 single. Its a hard-hitting rocker with scale climbing crunching guitars and powerful Bonham-esque drumming. Sadly, the band didnt last long due to poor management and various other factors, so this is the only surviving document according to guitarist Gerry Markman. And what a document it is, paired with the A-side The Flying Dutchman.
You might remember Ralph Williams and the Wright Brothers from their track Never Again on Brown Acid: The Tenth Trip. Here they make their return to the series with the A-side of their 1972 Hour Glass Records 45, which sounds like Blue Cheer mangling Roy Orbisons Pretty Woman (thats right, several years before Van Halen actually did so.) Alas, Ralph and these Wright Brothers soon disappeared from terrestrial airspace.
Feelin Dead is extremely heavy blues from this also extremely rare 1974 single by Detroit, MIs Master Danse, which was only released as a promo 45. Think Led Zeppelins Since Ive Been Loving You and youre on the right track. A little dose of Hendrix acid blues and a heartfelt groove, and youll wonder why this single never even made it to official release. The unavoidable tell in the lyric, help me get this damn thing out of my arm hints at the post-Vietnam heroin epidemic as a potential clue why we never heard more from Master Danse.
Folks, Gary Del Vecchio is Buzzin hard on this one, and from what sounds like an in-studio party of yelps and chatter at the start of the song, it seems that the whole band was in on the festivities. The funky blues riff, reminiscent of Led Zeppelins Heartbreaker and rollicking rhythmic changes certainly keep the buzz a rollin.The recording is technically credited as Gary Del Vecchio with Max, though not the same band as the one that kicks off this Trip.
John Kitkos 1973 heavy psychedelic rager Indecision is the only recording known to exist by the mysterious artist. The Twin Record Productions release features a different artist, Tom Poff on the B-side, which is truly a shame, considering the smoldering ashes Kitko leaves of the turntable by songs end. It starts out more like a late 60s Acid Rock jam before leaping into a blazing double-time gallop, whipped into a frenzy by wailing, neck-pickup guitar squeals and Kitkos barely audible howls.
Tampa, FLs Bacchus made their Brown Acid debut way back on the very first Trip with Carry My Load. This 1972 B-side, Hope is a huge sounding swinging rocker replete with roadhouse piano bolstering the chunky riffs and confident vocals. After relocating to Southern California a few years later, the band morphed into Fortress, an 80s melodic metal act whose Hands In The Till album of Pomp Rock on Atlantic Records still draws chatter today.
Orchids Go Big Red is perhaps the most garage-y sounding offering here, with loose rhythms and straightforward stop-and-start riffing. Nonetheless, the stomping energy and fried-amp guitar tone make this one a charming skull thwack. The bands 1973 single on American records, backed with a cover of Johnny Russell and Voni Morrisons Act Naturally (popularized by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos) is their only release, so the world never did see this Orchid fully blossom.
By the title alone of Dry Ices Dont Munkey with the Funky Skunky you know youre in for a good time. The 1974 barnstormer seems aimed to the novelty tunes crowd, with its kooky lyrics and silly-voiced spoken catchphrase break, peeyew, youll be sorry if you do. But, the Ohio bands maniacal drumming, crunching guitars and, of course, drug euphemistic lyrics make it a shoo-in for the Brown Acid series of erudite rocknroll.
Good Humores swaggering 1976 rocker Detroit is a slick and smooth paen to the Motor City. It most likely doesnt predate Detroit Rock City by Kiss, also released in 1976, and it has more rocknroll swing, but it could fit comfortably alongside the eras arena anthems. Not much else is known about the one-off release on P.V. Records, but songwriter Mike Moats is noted to also have been a recording engineer in later years and this well produced track sounds like a labor of love.
1. Max – Run Run 03:13
2. Ralph Williams – Dark Street 03:07
3. Geyda – Third Side 02:29
4. Gary Del Vecchio – Buzzin 03:12
5. John Kitko – Indecision 04:20
6. Bacchus – Hope 02:55
7. Master Danse – Feelin Dead 05:38
8. Orchid – Go Big Red 03:04
9. Dry Ice – Don’t Munkey with the Funky Skunky 03:02
10. Good Humore – Detroit 03:23