Savage Grace - The Complete Savage Grace (1970-71 us, great hard psych rock, double disc edition)

The band that called itself Savage Grace was biting off a lot, even by heightened late 60's standards. As their name suggests, they aimed to contain all the extremes of that heady era. Tempered by the famously discerning and demanding Michigan audiences of the time, the group's live performances made full use of the  high energy principles that distinguished the Detroit scene.  

But that was only a part of of Savage Grace’s sublime design. The core trio that began playing bars on the Motor City's east side as the Scarlet Letter couldn't have been less like your customary neighbourhood rock band. Guitarist/vocalist Ron Koss was a streetwise kid who’d cut his teeth playing  with local r&b heavyweights the Midnighters, Marv Johnson and Wilson Pickett. Keyboard maestro  John Seanor was the product of classical education, while drummer Larry Zack aspired to Jazz. 

When they added precipices 18 year old bassist/vocalist Al Jacquez to complete the quartet  rechristened Savage, his unschooled hard rock energy was the ideal complement to this perfectly imperfect union of styles. The collective sound forged by these four individuals was not simply a composite. It was a fluid changing thing, as each musician’s voice challenged for a place in the stylistic mix. The resulting tension was not always confined to the art, but it produced a music that, although meticulously composed, sounded like it was being redefined each time it was played. 

Commercially speaking of course Savage Grace left themselves an awful lot of cracks to fall though, and fall they did after only two albums. Luckily we have the safety net of history, from which nothing of merit escapes. And now that dreams seem at a premium, it becomes increasingly important to remember a time when people didn't worry about living large, they dreamed large, and the rest followed.

by Ben Edmonds 

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Come On Down (R. Koss) - 4:22

2. Lady Rain (J. Seanor) - 5:10

3. Dear Lenore (R. Koss) - 5:27

4. All Along The Watchtower (B. Dylan) - 5:46

5. Hymn To Freedom (O. Peterson, H. Hamilton) - 5:24

6. 1984 (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 3:22

7. Night Of The Hunter (R. Koss) - 4:34

8. Turn Your Head (R. Koss) - 5:57

9. Ivy (R. Koss) - 4:08

Disc 2
1. Mother's Son (J. Seanor) - 3:48
2. Tinboy (J. Seanor) - 3:39
3. Sandscript (A. Jacquez, J. Jones) - 3:19
4. Roll River Roll (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 1:59
5. Yonder (R. Koss) - 5:10
6. She's A Woman (R. Koss) - 4:05
7. Macon, Georgia (J. Seanor, R. Koss) - 3:54
8. Blindman (J. Seanor, R. Koss) - 3:55
9. She Comes And Goes (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 3:12
10. E'lana (J. Seanor) - 1:46
11. Lady Of The Mountain (J. Seanor) - 4:43

Savage Grace
*John Seanor - Piano, Harpsichord
*Larry Zack - Drums, Percussion
*Al Jacquez - Lead Vocals, Bass
*Ron Koss - Lead Vocals, Guitar

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