Week of November 14, 2004

Raven

Personnel:
Tommy Calandra – Bass
James Calire - Keyboards, Vocals
Tony Galla - Vocals, Harmonica
Gary Mallaber – Drums
John Weitz – Guitar

Albums:
Live At The Inferno (Discovery 36133) 1967
Raven (CBS CS 9903) 1969

45s:
Feelin' Good/Green Mountain Dream (CBS 4-44988) 1969
Children At Our Feet/Here Come A Truck (CBS 4-45163) 1970

Originating from Buffalo, New York, Raven recorded a great studio album in 1970. Raw and distorted, it’s heavy, unpolished, filthy, bluesy, moody rock – just the way I like it! Not quite the Small Faces or Procol Harum, it’s taken me a while to find something similar in the annals of my mind and my own collection.  But the analogy has finally bubbled up to the surface: it is not unlike Moore/Shiels/Bridgeman or maybe Gary Moore’s first solo album, “Grinding Stone” from 1973.  Except it’s also got those haphazard keyboards – piano and organ – once again, so raw and distorted and played with such energy and abandon, they give the frantic guitar a run for its money.  In that, as well as the bluesy, at times dishevelled vocals, it’s even more like Juicy Lucy and Toe Fat’s debut albums as well as "Cliff Bennett's Rebellion" (1971). A pleasant surprise and a revelation, to say the least!

Alex Gitlin
November 2004

Line-up and discography taken from: Fuzz, Acid & Flowers - American Garage, Psychedelic & Hippie Rock 1964-1975


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