ALPHA PERSEI

Had A.J. released the demos for this album instead of this album, it'd be just as good as "Stoned Gypsy Wanderer", and surely be a better space rock album than "Hippie". Take "Kali" for example - the demo sparkles with fuzz guitars, drums, and raw vocals, whereas the rendition found on the actual "Alpha Persei" album lacks power and conviction. "The Night We Met Amon Düül II" is actually better here than on the demos, but that's not my favorite song from the whole set. To be honest, it's hard to choose one, because in my opinion nothing really stands out from the fairly "normal norm". The more rocking tracks are my favorites here, like "L.A. Layla", "Silver Light", or "Ballad of a Peaceful Man". "A Violin Insane" is punk rock again, but this time really fun. I think this album has been recorded in 2017, which makes it actually pre-date some songs from the "Hippie" album. I find it amazing that The Swamp Records re-released this in 2022. The label did a great job, as it gave more people the chance to hear this material. I'd much prefer to have them release the demos though, but maybe that's only me. Overall, this album stands somewhere between "Hippie" and "Stoned Gypsy Wanderer", but is certainly not better than the latter, and maybe just as good as "Hippie" but a bit different. So, 2 stars, but make that 3 if you're a hardcore fan.