MAY BLITZ

The anglo-canadian group May Blitz released two LP's at the front-end of the 1970's before, like so many before and after them, disappearing into the rock netherworld. Thanks to Germany's Repertoire Records, both albums are now available on lovely, remastered, special-edition- mini-vinyl-replica editions, complete with the original artwork by Tony Benyon. Of the two releases, the eponymously-titled debut is by far the better album, featuring a powerful, bass-driven and, at times, very psychedelic sound which comes across like a heavier and more freaked-out version of Eric Clapton's Cream. Like Cream, May Blitz were a three-piece, featuring James Black(guitar, vocals), Reid Hudson(bass) and Tony Newman(drums), all of whom helped produce their debut along with ex-Vertigo Records engineer Barry Ainsworth, thus giving the album a thunderous overall sound peppered with feedback-drenched guitars and intense, tribal drumming. Released in 1970, 'May Blitz' sold very little, with the follow-up '2nd Of May' also proving a commercial failure, and the band were soon dropped by their label. However, thirty-plus years down the line and the group's first album is being rightfully hailed as a 'lost classic' from the golden era of popular music, and the group's reputation has risen from non-existant to cult-status as a result, with several internet fan clubs now being run for lovers of this un-compromising threesome. Adorned by some spectacularly odd artwork - a fat, ugly, large-nostrilled lady who looks like the lovechild of a gorilla and British politician Anne Widdecombe - the album starts with the brooding, marijuana-soaked rocker 'Smoking The Day Away', an 8-minute-plus heavy rock odyssey that demonstrates the group's pounding style. This is, in turn, followed by a collection of psychedelic rock songs peppered with the odd moody ballad, all of which find each member of the group in blistering form. Most outstanding is Reid Hudson's throbbing bass, which underpins every track with a ominous tension, though Tony Newman's drumming is pretty incredible throughout. The real shame, however, is the fact that the group abandoned this impressive formula in favour of a gruesome proto-metal sound for 'The 2nd Of May', consigning the group straight to the dustbin of promising rock acts and truncating a promising career right at it's inception.