Genre: psych
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: Confusion
Company: All American
Catalog: AA-5770
Year: 1970
Country/State: California, USA
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: minor corner dents
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 4230
Price: $280.00
Cost: $17
00
This is one of those LPs I'd heard about for years, but never managed to
lay my hands on. Every time I stumbled across a copy in a store it carried
an astronomical price ($250 for the last copy I saw three years ago in San
Diego), or when I found a copy on the internet it was either already sold,
or if it was part of an auction I was quickly outbid. Well, having
finally found a copy, was it worth the wait? Yes.
So what do we know about these guys? Not much. Under his given name Ernie
Orosco, front man/singer/guitarist Joseph had previously played with a
number of Santa Barbara, California-based acts including Ernie and the
Emporers and Ernie's Funnys. He'd also recorded a pair of interesting
late-'60s albums as a member of Giant Crab (see separate entries). Following
the breakup of Giant Crab, Orosco/Joseph apparently relocated to Los
Angeles, where he formed Big Brother (not to be confused with Janis Joplin's
original outfit). Backed by guitarist Cory Colt, drummer Steve Dunwoodle (aka
Steve D.) and multi-instrumentalist brother Ruben (aka Ruben the Jet), the quartet
attracted the attention of the small All American label.
Produced by Bill Holmes who'd handled production for the two earlier Giant
Crab LPs, 1970's "Confusion"
came as a major change in direction to anyone familiar with Orosco/Joseph's
earlier pop/lite-psych moves. With all four members received writing
credits, material such as 'Heart Full of Rain', 'L.L.A.
(Lubricated Love Affair)' and the bluesy 'Heavy Load' offered
up a set of Hendrix-styled guitar pyrotechnics. Elsewhere, the heavily
phased 'E.S.P.' (sounding like a strange reworking of The Pretty
Thing's 'L.S.D.') was actually a reworking of Giant Crab's final
single. Given the abundance of guitar rockers, at least to our ears, the
standout track was the atypical ballad 'Wake Up In the Morning'.
Sweet and sincere, its a beautiful effort. Sure, it ain't the most original
LP you'll hear this year and parts of the percussion heavy closing suite 'Gravus Delictum
(Unforgiveable Sin)' drag, but the performances
were enthusiastic and its an album I play on a regular basis. (Courtesy of
Dan McClean, the LP also sports a great black and silver period piece
cover).
"Confusion" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) Heart Full of Rain (Bill Holmes - Ernie Joseph) - 3:33
2.) Wake Up In the Morning (Ernie Joseph - Cory Colt - R.T. Jet - Bill
Holmes) - 6:40
3.) E.S.P. (Self - Ciebiera) - 2:15
4.) Heavy Load (Ernie Joseph - Cory Colt - R.T. Jet - Bill Holmes) - 6:39
5.) L.L.A. (Lubricated Love Affair) (Ernie Joseph - Cory Colt - R.T. Jet -
Bill Holmes) - 3:54
6.) Saint James Infirmary (J. Primrose) - 6:06
(side 2)
1.) Gravus
Delictum (Unforgiveable Sin)
a.) Under Cover Man (instrumental) (Ernie Joseph - Cory Colt - R.T. Jet) -
1:17
b.) Puck-a-Chick-a (instrumental) (Steve Dunwoodle) - 0:51
c.) Bare Skin (instrumental) (Steve Dunwoodle) - 2:44
d.) Roll-In (instrumental) (Steve Dunwoodle) - 2:07
e.) Roll-Out (instrumental) (Steve Dunwoodle) - 0:58
f.) Climax (instrumental) (Steve Dunwoodle) - 0:58
g.) 403 Halkirk (instrumental) (Ernie Joseph - Cory Colt - R.T. Jet) - 3:35
The band also released a single 'E.S.P.' b/w 'Brother, We're
Are You' (All American catalog number 5718). While the "A"
side was drawn from the earlier LP, the flip side was a non-album effort.
Be aware the LP was booted in the late-1980s, though in the mid-1990s the
Italian Akarma label offered a supposedly legitmate reissue with a bonus track (catalog
AK 013-1).
