Hunger! was a psychedelic rock band that was first formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1967. Following their inception, the band moved the Los Angeles area of California, where they began opening for The Doors and gaining a following in the area. The group recorded this album, Strictly From Hunger (1969), and released it in Europe in 1968, before the album was reworked and released in the U.S. in 1969, which is around the time that the bands split up. The album seems to be held in high regard in psychedelic music enthusiast genres. The Doors are one of my favorite bands, so I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the listening experience.
“Colors” starts out with a sort of crunchy garage rock chord, before the track gets grooving with a sort of slow building, somewhat dark sound that reminds me a bit of The Doors. Holy smokes, the track gets grooving into some chaotic, psychedelic territory that I’m really digging. I really dig the super crunchy distortion on the electric guitar. Oh wow, this track is great; there’s a ton of syncopation in the beat that keeps the tune super dynamic. Oh wow, the chaotic crescendo of the ending resolves to a piano note in a super flavorful way. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Workshop” has a sort of easy going groove at the start of the track that seems to gradually build in a super flavorful way. Oh wow, this is sweet. The soundscape sort of reminds me of Mighty Baby meets The Doors, and I’m digging it. Oh wow, I really dig the organs in this track, which seem to change pacing with the drums in a super flavorful way. Oh wow, the guitar work has a pretty slick feel to it too that reminds me a bit of Robby Krieger’s tone a bit. Holy smokes, the tune seems to slow down and fade into the distance, after which the bands snaps back into the soundscape with a groovy psychedelic jam that again has the mixture of Mighty Baby and The Doors that I’m really digging. The counterpoint between the organs and piano is awesome. Wow, great tune.
“Portland 69” gets moving with a sort of distorted, and gradually speeding up guitar line that almost sounds off-putting to some degree, especially as the bright organs seem to chirp in the background with some heavy syncopation; I’m really digging the track so far. Holy smokes, the guitar seemed to have hit a note that resolved a lot tension, which cued the band into a psychedelic jam that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, there’s a lead guitar part that enters and plays some super groovy psychedelic blues-inflected licks. This is super sweet. The jamming style really feels similar to the jams of Mighty Baby, but with a lot of flavors of The Doors and the Los Angeles psychedelic rock scene of the era. Holy smokes, the jam keeps building and grooving even more, and I’m really getting super into it. There seem to be some undertones of surf rock in the jams too that I’m really digging. Wow, great jam.
Oh wow, “No Shame” gets grooving with a sort of dark, whimsical, carnivalesque psychedelic sound that I’m really digging. The electric harpsichord adds some seemingly psychedelic baroque flavors, while the rest of the band gets into a super flavorful psychedelic groove. Wow, this song is great. Awesome track.
Holy smokes, “Trying To Make the Best” feels like an early tune by The Doors at the onset of the track, before things get gradually more bluesy and more complex. Holy smokes, this track keeps evolving more and more, and feels like a groovy psychedelic blues tune reminiscent of British psychedelic bands of the era like Cream. Holy smokes, the mixing of this track is great, there’s a super groovy part where the instruments sound as though you’re listening to them through a tin can while the vocals seem to fill the soundscape around you. Holy smokes, the jams in this track are super groovy, and continually evolve more and more. Oh wow, the organs get into a super tasty groove during an instrumental section. Holy smokes, the guitar has traded with the organs and are getting some super groovy licks in. Wow, this track contains some super hot psychedelic jamming. Great track.
“Open Your Eyes” starts out with some super groovy, fuzzed-out guitar that sets the tone for the track, which almost seems to be as though the tune is slowly melting. Oh wow, the track changes up to a second movement that seems to be a swirling, fuzzed-out psychedelic blues section. Wow, this track is super groovy. Great tune.
“The Truth” gets grooving with some tension building drums, guitar, and organs that remind me a bit of The Allman Brothers Band’s track, “Whipping Post”. Holy smokes, the organs get into a super flavorful swirling jam for a moment. Oh wow, the next instrumental jam section features the guitar getting in some distorted, sort of slowly-churning psychedelic blues licks that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the tune drops back into the main chorus with such a natural segue. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Mind Machine” begins with some eerie organs that almost sounds as though they’re bubbling up from the basement of a haunted mansion of sorts. Oh wow, I really dig the swing in the drums on this track. Holy smokes, the track seems to have gotten away from the eeriness from earlier, and has now evolved into a super groovy late-1960s classic psychedelic jam that I’m really digging. Wow, super groovy tune.
Oh wow, “She Let Him Continue” starts out with some slowly building psychedelic rock grooves that set a sort of chaotic tone for the track. Holy smokes, the guitars and drums seem to gradually unwind that chaos as the track continues. Oh wow, the swirls of the organs that build the song up to a crescendo at the end are super flavorful, and finishes the song in a way that seems to tie together the listening experience quite nicely. Great track, and a great way to finish the album.
Wow, this album is super groovy. I keep coming back to the combination of Mighty Baby and The Doors as a style that is present in the album, but there are plenty of other psychedelic blues and rock flavors and styles mixed in as well that provide for a unique listening experience throughout the album. If you’re into psychedelic rock from the late-1960s, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A