Psych comps come and go, but the Psychic Circle label's simultaneously released Realistic Patterns and The Room of Loud Sound are there to stay. Credit that to the Bevis Frond's Nick Saloman who did a great job compiling these lost gems. Saloman clearly understands that rarity is not enough to make a good track, and that musical quality does not necessarily translate into a good album.
In the end, it's all about selection and order: selecting outstanding tracks (and keeping the filler out) and ordering them into a track list that will create its own sense of purpose. This he has succeeded to do on The Room of Loud Sound, a thrilling ride through some of America's best forgotten heavy psychedelic numbers from 1968 to 1972.
The fuzz guitar and the sleazy organ are the key features in all the music heard here, but approaches vary. In fact, there is quite some ground covered between Hot Soup's Hendrix-like anthem "You Took Me by Surprise," and Hammer's fast-paced blues rocker "Something Easy," and Carlo's funky take on "Fever."
Other highlights include Morning Sun's "Dark Hair," and the Mystic Number National Bank's "Beautician Blues," but the jewel of the crown here is Florida band Fantasy's "Understand," featuring the phenomenal singer Lydia Janene Miller (the closest anyone got to emulating Janis Joplin).
by Francois Couture
1. Hot Soup - You Took Me by Surprise (Mario Castellanos) - 2:45
2. Bump - Got to Get You Back (Jerry Greenberg) - 2:39
3. Fuse - Permanent Resident (Craig Meyers, Joe Sundberg) - 3:55
4. Carlo - Fever (Eddie Coolie, John Davenport) - 2:41
5. Five By Five - Good Connection (Danny Rhodes, Tim Milam, Rommy Miller) - 3:25
6. Plant And See - Put out My Fire (Willie French Lowery) - 3:21
7. Morning Sun - Dark Hair (Jack Grochmal) - 2:19
8. Today's Special - Krista (Eddie Simon, Paul Gelber) - 2:41
9. Fantasy - Understand (Lydia Janene Miller) - 3:21
10.Mister Beeler - Henrietta (Erik Will) - 2:52
11.Peace And Quiet - You Can Wait Till Tomorrow (Jim Tolliver) - 3:10
12.Tombstone Shadow (John Fogerty) - 2:39
13.Salem Witchcraft - Rock 'n' Roll Lover (Arlen Viecelli) - 4:18
14.Vagrants - Beside the Sea (Bert Sommer, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:17
15.Hammer - Something Easy (John De Roberts, Norman Landsberg) - 2:54
16.Blowtorch - C'mon And Get It (Austin Roberts, Christopher Welch) - 2:57
17.Locomotive - Get on Away (John Ussery) - 3:18
18.Eagle - Pack Up (John Lincoln Wright, Robert Rhodes) - 3:51
19.Mystic Number National Bank - Beautician Blues (B.B. King, Jules Taub) - 1:57
20.Silk - Skitzo Blues (Chris Johns, Bill Szymczyk, Michael Stanley Gee, Randy Sabo) - 4:28
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