MESSIN' [AKA: GET YOUR ROCKS OFF]

I have the remastered version of this album. If you compare it to 'The Roaring Silence' from 1976, you would almost think it was two different bands performing. Of course, Mick Rogers is singer/guitarist here, and by '76 he had gone and been replaced by Flett and Thompson. This album is altogether more raw and earthy than 'The Roaring Silence'. It is more bluesy in other words. 'Messin', the opener, has an industrial tone to it, with insistent beat and industrial noises behind the melody. It has some impressive guitar work from Rogers and, as always, some nice keyboard work from Mann himself. Second track, 'Buddah' is maybe my favourite, with a nice, gentle verse and more aggressive chorus. Again, good instrumentation. 'Cloudy Eyes' is an impressive instrumental that, in parts, reminds me almost of the sort of stuff Mike Oldfield was to produce ten years later. 'Get Your Rocks Off' is, for me, the weakest track on the album. A predictable, quite dated seventies rock song this one, quite repetitive and with little true melody. Sadjoy' is the second instrumental and, although not as good as 'Cloudy Eyes', it has its own charm and is enjoyable. 'Black And Blue' reminds me, in the verse, of early Fleetwood Mac, very bluesy, but later comes some nice synth work from Mann. A good song. 'Mardi Gras Day' is the official album closer, and is a more uptempo mardi gras style song, quite fun in a cheerful way. First of the two bonus tracks is 'Pretty Good' which, in fact, isn't! It's ok, and better than 'Get Your Rocks Off', but again it sounds like a dated, repetitive seventies song. (Which of course it is!) Finally we have a shortened version of 'Cloudy Eyes', which brings nothing new to the longer version, but ends the album nicely. Worth a listen, but don't expect anything approaching 'Blinded By The Light'. Three stars.