rep>>> Magi - Win Or Lose (1975 us, high energy guitar rock, with Tom Stevens of Long Ryders fame)

Trivia buffs take note, as future Long Ryders bassist Tom Stevens played in this Northern Indiana based band. A self-released effort, Win Or Lose originally saw the light of day in 1976. Recorded at Uncle Dirty’s Sound Machine Studios in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the disc stands as Magi’s one and only album. A couple of years after Win Or Lose was issued, the band relocated to Los Angeles. But not much happened there, so they soon called it quits.

Sometimes you can judge a band by the way they look, and in this case such an adage sits right on the money. A photo of Magi graces the cover of Win Or Lose, which captures them in total rock star mode. The hair is long and flowing, while the threads range from a leopard print top to a leather jacket to a flowery shirt to puka shells to a scarf wrapped around the neck. Facial hair is also present.

Resembling a cross between Foghat and Aerosmith, with a touch of Steppenwolf hurled into the soup for good measure, the band’s music certainly corresponds with their image.

Crammed tight with crunching odes to sex, drugs and rock and roll, Win Or Lose (reissued in 2005 by Radioactive Records) bristles with untamed energy. The material may be riff-oriented, but there’s still stashes of catchy hooks and melodies to be savored. Combining sassy snarls with arena rock extravaganza, the vocals are perfect for the hot and sweaty songs Magi performs. Punchy jams, laced with slaving rhythms and arresting breaks additionally personify the band’s tunes.

Select gems on Win Or Lose include the title track, “Fryin’ Away Time,” “Undecided Man” and “I Didn’t Ask You.” For a brief change of pace, there’s the moody “Snow Bound,” which reveals the band to be quite competent at handling softer numbers.

Awash with prototype hard rock action, Win Or Lose sticks fast to the basics. Nothing fancy is going on here. The delivery is straight-forward, powerful and charmingly naive to a point. A cool artifact, Win Or Lose is a must have for fans of the genre, especially of the old-school stripe.

by Beverly Paterson, September 6, 2012 

Tracks
1. Win Or Lose - 5:13
2. Undecided Man - 5:11
3. I Didn't Ask You - 5:51
4. Steven Jam - 4:48
5. Fryin' Away - 6:56
6. Snow Bound - 4:56
7. Runnin' Low - 5:43
8. Everytime I'm With You - 4:42

Magi
*Tom Stevens - Bass, Vocals
*Steve Vanlaningham - Guitar
*Larry Stutzman - Guitar, Vocals
*Jerry Wiggins - Drums
*John Gaut - Vocals

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rep>>> Ginhouse - Ginhouse (1971 uk, great heavy prog rock, 2012 korean limited reissue)

Ginhouse were a trio from Newcastle consisting of Stewart Burlison (bass, vocals), Geoff Sharkey (guitar, vocals) and David Whitaker (drums). They only recorded one album. Although Ginhouse had a strong live performance at the time - they supported bands like Yes, The Who and Fleetwood Mac - this album appeared to be their swan song; they disbanded in 1972. The first reissue on CD dates from 1993 on Green Tree Records, but it failed to reach the office of Background Magazine. Thanks to Esoteric Recordings this recently remastered reissue gave me a second chance to discover the music of this band.

When you listen to this album forty years after it has been recorded you can say that it sounds rather outdated. However, I guess that isn't a problem as long as the compositions have something to say music wise. Well, this is certainly the case and I often wondered why this band never made it to the top. Not all pieces these musicians recorded for their sole effort can be regarded as progressive rock. Mainly songs as The Journey, Portrait Picture and Fair Stood The Wind drew my attention all the way. On these tracks the keyboard parts played by producer Anders Henriksson push the music of Ginhouse towards a musical style strongly related to In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969), the debut album by King Crimson. The combination of the lead vocals, which occasionally sound like the voice of Greg Lake, the acoustic guitar, organ and Mellotron flutes reminded me of several tracks from that album.

At the time Ginhouse were also influenced by the music of The Beatles which can be heard throughout the album. Therefore I wasn't really surprised to hear that they covered And I Love Her, one of the many Lennon & McCartney songs. They made a rather heavy version of this mellow acoustic song. Apart from the already mentioned influences I also heard touches of the hard rock scene that flourished in those days. Ginhouse's music isn't as heavy and loud as the music recorded by bands as Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, although the overall sound is clearly dominated by the electric guitars. Finally I heard some elements from psychedelic rock and folk music.

by Henri Strik

Tracks
1. Tyne God - 5:33
2. I Cannot Understand - 4:19
3. The Journey - 5:57
4. Portrait Picture - 5:46
5. Fair Stood The Wind - 2:51
6. And I Love Her (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:12
7. Life - 4:30
8. The Morning After - 5:13
9. The House - 3:33
10.Sun In The Bottle - 5:16
All compositions by Geoff Sharkey except track #6

The Ginhouse
*Stewart Burlison - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Whitaker - Drums
*Geoff Sharkey - Lead Guitar, Vocals

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