In 1972, Elektra Records released a compilation covering the Garage-Rock period of the late ‘60s entitled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968. It was like nothing you ever heard. In the liner notes, Lenny Kaye who would later find achievement as a lead guitarist with the Patti Smith Group, wrote that the bands on this album were “young, decidedly unprofessional, seemingly more at home practicing for a teen dance than going out on a national tour. The name that has been unofficially coined for them “punk-rock” seems particularly fitting in this case, the relentless middle-finger drive and determination offered only by rock and roll at its finest.”
Lenny was spot on for what he was describing throughout the first Nuggets compilation of the first true punks in the psychedelic period who used distortions, a fuzzbox, and surf to the core. With the thirteenth volume of the Brown Acid series, it proves that both Metal and Hard Rock weren’t just both five and eight letter words in the alphabet.
The Thirteenth Trip is a continuing collection of finding these rare proto-metal sounding treasures to see what was missing beyond the stratosphere. From the motorcycling revving drive down the highway of Orchid’s ‘Go Big Red’, it is probably a song written for the ‘60s anime TV series, Speed Racer while Dry Ice pays tribute to the unsung genius of May Blitz from Vertigo’s golden-era meets Mick Farren’s The Deviants on ‘Don’t Munkey with the Funky Skunky.’
Listening to that track is like an intensive exercise for the go-go dancers to get on board for the Stoner Rock train for a new edition of Hullabaloo. Its punk meets weird vibes that is like something straight out of the Detroit scene in the early ‘70s. Ralph Williams’ ‘Dark Street’ is a combination between Caribbean rockers Luv Machine and Santana’s riffing midsections of the Zombies cover, ‘She’s Not There’.
Brutal betraying lyrics and filled with temperature rising guitar levels, Ralph punches you in the gut so hard, you’ll be bowing before him. Gary Del Vecchio’s ‘Buzzin’ sounds like trains chugging for a Sludging blues rocker carrying bits and pieces of Budgie and Frijid Pink thrown into the mix to get your motors running for a slow-sounding speed to mid-fast tempos to have those chainsaws ready to attack!
Max’s ‘Run Run’ opens the album with an eruptive nuclear explosion as heavy riffs and its lead section gets you going. I love how the drums add those intensive beats to make it sound like a gunshot out of nowhere. Kind of like a Grand Funk rocker from the On Time sessions and Leaf Hound’s Growers of Mushroom rolled into one. Now onto the next track, Gedaya’s ‘Third Side’.
Despite the rough quality, it has a thumping Bass vibe that Geezer Butler had used before from the first Black Sabbath album. But it has some strong resemblances of a band from the rising sun named Flied Egg and the revving rocker intro ‘Leave Me Woman’ from their second and final album, Good Bye.
At first, John Kitko’s ‘Indecision’ sounds like a Kinks song. But it transforms into a tidal waving destruction that hits you unexpectedly. With some pure proto-punk rock loyalty between Patto’s ‘Loud Green Song’, The Stooges, and garage-rockers The Seeds. It is a combination of the three with some snarling Egyptian guitar solos and Iggy Pop-sque vocals that will make your skin crawl.
The Thirteenth Trip is another return to hear more hidden treasures that were lost in the archives of Jim Hawkins’ story with Long John Silver. For co-owner Lance Barresi, founder of L.A. / Chicago retailer, Permanent Records, he’s sort of like the Sherlock Holmes of finding these rare gems. And it’s more than just Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. As I’ve mentioned earlier, While Metal is more than just a five letter word, The Thirteenth Trip needs to be turned up at maximum volume!
