Road was a relatively short lived hard rock and psychedelic rock band comprised of Noel Redding of The Jimi Hendrix Experience on bass and vocals, Rod Richards of Rare Earth on guitars and vocals, and Leslie Sampson on drums and vocals. The band formed in Los Angeles in 1970, which is where they recorded their only album in 1972. The band split up not too long after the album’s release later in 1972. Redding and Sampson were in some of the jams that were in Randy California’s Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds (1972) album I listened to just the other night. I’m pretty stoked to hear what’s in store, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“I’m Trying” starts off relatively gently with some gentle descending guitar melodies that seem to swish around while the drums gradually start picking up some steam. Oh wow, I really dig the tone of the bass as it seemingly fills up the soundscape. Oh wow, these guitar lines are pretty sweet, and are definitely picking up a bit of steam as well as the tune moves along. Oh wow, I really dig the vocals and the way they’re mixed into the soundscape – there’s almost a bit of a country folk rock feel to them at first. Oh wow, the guitars pick up with a ton of flavorful ton and wah pedal action. Holy smokes, I really dig this tune. The chorus background vocals gently weave into the soundscape in between the heavy guitar riffs really nicely. Oh wow, the tune keeps gradually building on itself the whole time – this is sweet. I really dig the jangle of the acoustic guitar contrasting with the heaviness during the wah pedal parts. This is one sweet intro track that really gets rockin’ with a mixture of great flavors. Great track.
“I’m Going Down To The Country” starts out with some super tasty galloping and gliding country flavors with the pedal steel slide guitar and other acoustic guitar gently galloping around the soundscape. This track is sweet, and definitely hits some pretty gritty acoustic guitar notes with the slide guitar. The sparse vocals bring in a really nice laid back sound to the soundscape in this one too. Really sweet tune.
“Mushroom Man” starts off with a feeling like you’re slowly approaching the top of the big first hill on a rollercoaster, with the cymbals and percussion gradually producing a sort of ‘nearing’ feeling, while the guitar really gets down into the soundscape with super dark distortion and effects from the wah pedal. Meanwhile the bass is keeping the song grooving along, working its way to the front of the soundscape with some super tasty tone as the tune progresses. Really sweet track.
Holy smokes, “Man Dressed In Red” starts out with some drippingly delicious psychedelic guitar work that almost has a bit of funk feel working through the tasty wah effects in the lines. Oh wow, the rest of the instrumentation gradually begins to pick up and get the song grooving faster and faster as the tune progresses. The bass starts coming through a bit more to the front of the soundscape with some tasty fat tone. Holy smokes, the tune seems to change up super naturally on the tip of a pin with a really tasty bass and guitar jam/breakdown. This song is sweet. I really dig the flavor of the vocals seemingly coming into the soundscape from a relaxed distance while being super attentive in the soundscape at the same time. Oh wow, the tune gets really out there for a moment, seemingly out of nowhere in a very natural and wholesome way, before dropping back into things with more of a psychedelic blues rock sort of way. Oh wow, this sort of chaotic crescendo at the end of the track is super sweet, and really takes the tune pretty far out as it seems to wind down. Great tune.
“Space Ship Earth” starts out with a countdown to get going into this super flavor, somewhat heavy, psychedelic rock track. Oh wow, this is sweet. The wah pedal’d guitar just drips into the soundscape with some super great distorted flavor, while the drums seemingly drive the tune forward with some super tasty, crashes and strikes. The bass seems to work as a super sweet underbelly to the tune, nearly guiding it along as it seems to get far out and brought back to reality in super fluid motions. Really sweet track.
“Friends” starts out with some quick, distorted, wah pedal’d chops from the electric guitar that bring out some super groovy flavor in the soundscape, which is soon joined by a super tasty bass line that seems to be directing the tune’s movements with fat, bopping movements from the lower parts of the soundscape, while the drums keep things moving along with some super strong and sturdy grooves and fills that serve the soundscape well. Oh wow, the rest of the instrumentation drops out and now there’s a drum break that reminds me a lot of the drums sections from Grateful Dead shows with Bill and Mickey taking you on a near primal journey at times – absolutely sweet. Holy smokes, when the rest of the electric guitar and bass come back on there’s a really great release of tension while still using all the momentum the drums built up to the fullest extent possible. The jam seems to keep grooving and getting even harder for a moment as the wah pedal’d guitar goes in and the bass bubbles up tasty psychedelic rock incantations into the soundscape. Really sweet track.
“Road” starts out with a line that almost has a dark sort of Black Sabbath feel to it – super sweet. The bass and guitar complement each other well as the tune picks up with the wah pedal’d distorted guitar sort of drips into the soundscape and the bass seemingly boils the guitar in the soundscape while the rockin’ drums stirs the tune together with the different movements across the soundscape and the crashes of cymbals to sort of tie it all together – awesome. Oh wow, the vocals create such a strong, heavy rock presence in this tune – super sweet. Oh wow, the band really jams out in this one – awesome. Oh wow, the guitar drops out for a moment, leaving just the drums that are keeping the tune grooving along, and the super tasty bass with some really groovy fat tone that seems to weave together its own quick lines with itself throughout the soundscape – super sweet. Oh wow, it sounds like there are at least 3 different guitar parts – either two basses and an electric guitar or two electric guitars and a bass – at this point, and the playing is nearly hypnotic, especially as it feels like the band really ties the jam up extremely well with a bit of a crescendo that segues really nicely into the main grooves from earlier in the tune. Great track, and super sweet way to end the album.
Wow, this album was pretty sweet. There’s a ton of super flavorful wah pedal guitar, some tasty fat bass tone, and some super groovin’ heavy psychedelic drums that serve as the seemingly main features throughout much of the album, but the singing has some great flavor with the sort of confident yet distant style in some of the tracks, while getting just as heavy as the rest of the instrumentation at other times, and there is a vague sort of country inflection the seems to be an underpinning behind some of the tracks in the album. If you dig heavier psychedelic rock, or really enjoy the sound of some distorted wah pedal’d guitar, you might want to consider checking this one out. The movements between the inflections of different genres like a country folk sound or bluesy sound while remaining a heavier psychedelic sound throughout a lot of the album is super sweet and super interesting. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A