Various Artists

This 3CD boxset charts the development and progress of that wonderful genre, American Heavy Rock. Starting with the bands who were coming out of the flower power – still with an acid edge to their sound but heavier and nastier – and ending with the Marshall amp’ed and more speed and booze orientated rockers of the ’72 – ’73 period and with a serious bunch of Detroit rockers in the middle, it’s a fascinating ride.

Disc one ‘Born To Be Wild’ - kicks off with Vanilla Fudge copy of ‘Ticket To Ride’ and it is clear immediately what is beginning to happen – the vibrato of Farfisa organ, heavy pounding drums and a fluid bass line, plus the beginnings of riffing, seem to mark a point in time away from the West Coast bands or the pop & prettiness image of the bands going before. Add Iron Butterfly & Blue Cheer plus Steppenwolf and you have a statement for the beginning of Heavy Rock, right there. A few familiar names here – Quicksilver Messenger Service, Blues Magoos, Muddy Waters (!), Kim Fowley and a track by one of my favourites Mass Confusion Rock Band.
It sometimes seems unsure as whether it is psychedelic or rock but you can hear the beginnings of the scene.

Disc 2 - ‘Kick Out The Jams’ - is more rock oriented and with a strong Detroit/New York flavour.
Kicking off with MC5 and their notorious ‘Kick Out The Jams’ it reflects changes in the US as society was getting harder-faced and edgier. Where bands in 1967 and 1968 were asking questions of their drug-addled minds, bands in 1969 & 1970 were more in your face and either telling you or demanding answers.
The CD features tracks from The Nazz (early Todd Rungren) and Alice Cooper as well as Iggy & The Stooges at their offensive best (‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’). There is a number from the Stalk Forrest Group (who became Blue Oyster Cult). More of these tracks were hits – Frijid Pink’s ‘House Of the Rising Sun’, Mountain ‘Mississippi Queen’ – as America was playing more hard rock on the radio. Best band name – Damnation Of Adam Blessing.

The third CD – ‘We’re Coming To Your Town’ – is the more recognizable heavy rock sound before heavy metal. Guitars are to the fore, keyboards used largely as rhythm instruments, and there is a hint of psychedelic overhang in the lyrics more than the music. It opens with early ZZ Top and features heavy tracks by Wildfire, Blue Oyster Cult, Cactus, Todd Rundgren and even one from Arthur Lee (Love had broken up by now) and closes with, you guessed it, Grand Funk Railroad’s ‘We’re An American Band’
A lot of the music on this disc is satisfyingly ‘rocky’ and it is possible to see where the split between Melodic Rock & Heavy Metal was coming from.

A fascinating collection of music, it really works as a package.