10 British Proto-Metal Song Tracks From Before Black Sabbath (Reviewed)
1. Futilest's Lament by High Tide (1969) dark lyrics like a bad acid trip. Driving guitar and drums. Great riffs. It's definitely an offshoot of psychedelia but rather like Black Sabbath. I loved the long instrumental portion. [8/10]
2. Peace Loving Man by Blossom Toes (1969) Dark and heavy with interludes of psychedelia. Seriously, antiwar. Counter authority and counter culture. Slight feeling of punk. There is a massive and unhinged crescendo followed by a very twisted dreamlike talking dialog. Then, back to being heavy as hell. [7/10] *Listen to the demo version. It's better.
3. Listen to the Sky by Sands (1967) takes a while to get heavy. Antiwar from the start. Not graphic lyrics but slightly disturbing. At 1:53, an air raid siren kicks in, and then it gets heavy and darker. The mix of the taped war sounds and the droning guitar with feedback and distortion is absolutely an absolutely dark trip type experience. The ending with the drums in lead gives an oppressive feeling. [9/10]
4. Race With the Devil by The Gun (1968) was often referenced in the 70s and 80s by other bands. A rather Regal opening into a psychedelic riff, but the drums and bass are heavy. The lyrics are the darkest part. The lead guitar is just not heavy, but I really like it, and it leads out the song well. [7/10] *Listen to one one with the license plate on the cover.
5. Magic Potion by The Open Mind (1969) quite similar to I Want to be Your Dog by The Stooges (USA 1969) and were released one month apart, but it was coincidental. It starts heavy and has definite drug references, but the title alludes to that, and it speaks of tripping out and seeing a deeper reality. It was rather rhythmic, and the drums in lead at the ending were great. [7/10] * Listen to the one that is 3:34 long
6. Love in the Rain by Edgar Broughton Band (1969) Other tracks on the album that were proto-metal are Death of an Electric Citizen, and Evil. Starts out kick ass A.F. It seems rather a lot about tripping and having sex. The lyrics would have messed with people's heads in 1969. It's not cryptic at all, it just says it outright. [9/10] *Listen to the 204 remastered version.
7. Blister on the Moon by The Taste (1968) It starts out hard and is very antisystem and antiauthority. The lyrics tell an actual story here, so hear them. [7/10] *Listen to the 3:33 version; it's the original single.
8. Dream by Little Free Rock (1969) It's rather a heavy song about love or obsession. Lead sounds like Jimi Hendrix, but it is not. BDSM overtones. It left me longing in the end and had no lead out. Not seriously remarkable. [6/10] *Might be hard to find on YT music, but it's there.
9. Rhubarb! by Second Hand (1968) The start had me in stitches. It's hilarious. It's very much a critical look at society in a very condescending manner. So very against the culture of the time. They rather did not like TV, either. Listen close at the end. It's hard to understand. [9/10]
10. Too Old by Andromeda (1969) A psychedelic start to a long, heavy, and enjoyable intro. What I'm getting from the lyrics is absolute disdain for the elderly. I'm actually completely put off by this. They completely devalue the lives of people who they can't possibly relate to. I loved the music, but the words repulsed me deeply. [5/10] would have been a 3 if the intro was not so darn good. Would have been a 9 if they did not hate on people like me. *All versions are the same.
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