N.S.U. was a short-lived acid blues rock band from Scotland. There’s very little information about this group online, apart from the band taking their name from the song, “N.S.U.”, by Cream, and that the group released their only album in 1969 and broke up shortly afterwards after little local success. In recent decades, this album, Turn On, Or Turn Me Down (1969), has seen some rereleases as it has been unearthed by enthusiasts of the genre. This particular version was a rerelease by the Getback label from 2006, but I don’t think anything is really too different from the original except some remastering. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Turn On, Or Turn Me Down” starts out with some mellow guitar that seems to take on a bit of a raga inflection. Holy smokes, the harmonica comes in and introduces an earthy psychedelia that is quickly sent to outer space as the guitar picks up a more psychedelic prog rock sound. Wow, this is super groovy. Holy smokes, the instrumentation continues to build on itself and evolve in some unexpected, natural, and super groovy ways. Oh wow, the female vocalist comes in and adds a sort of mystical sweetness to the soundscape that I’m really digging. Wow, this is super groovy. The recording quality seems really nice as well, which is a great bonus to this playing so far. Great track.
“His Town” begins with some really groovy guitar work that has a sort of mid 1970s bluesy prog rock, and I’m really digging it so far. Oh wow, the track gets into a second movement that seems to be like a breakdown of the first as the drums amp up and the guitar playing seems to deconstruct into a bluesy rock jam of some sort. Oh wow, the bass comes in big, and pulls me even further into the music. Holy smokes, the tune settles back down into another verse and a super slick manner. Wow, another great track.
“You Can’t Take It From My Heart” has a really energetic start that has a feel reminiscent of Clapton and Cream playing “Crossroads” or even “Killing Floor”. Oh wow, this energetic bluesy track is super groovy. Oh wow, the track mellows for a moment before blasting off into a psychedelic blues jam with some super groovy playing from both the bass guitar and the lead guitar. Oh wow, the ending of the track is ripe with high energy infused chaos and super groovy psychedelic blues rock flavors as the track comes to a crescendo of sorts. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Love Talk” begins with some really gentle electric guitar that sets a tone that at first evokes flavors of some of The Doors’ softer songs. Oh wow, the female vocalist comes in again and provides a really interesting harmonization that brings the soundscape further into a mystical psychedelic territory. I really dig how the song seems to be building on itself. Holy smokes, there’s a really groovy drum fill that introduces the second portion of the tune, and somehow pulls me further into the listening experience. Wow, another great track.
“All Aboard” starts out with some really great crunchy distortion and bright tone on the electric guitar that seems to set a psychedelic tone for the track, while the drums, bass, and vocals seem to push you forward while the guitar seems to be steering song. The bass guitar and drums almost have a sort of primal nature that I really dig, and when combined with the guitar playing reminds me of some of the darker psychedelic rock bands from the Los Angeles area in the mid-to-late 1960s combined with the British psychedelic blues style of time period. Super sweet track.
“The Game” gets grooving on all cylinders right away with the drums and bass continually ramping up the momentum, while the electric guitar nearly has a laid-back sound that seems to trade back and forth with the vocal lines in the track. Oh wow, the track moves into an interesting mix of a Scottish folk rock marching sort of sound mixed with psychedelic blues for a moment, and gradually develops further into a psychedelic blues jam. Super sweet track.
“Stoned” begins with some cymbals and bass that seems to gradually walk/march you along in the style of some sort of psychedelic folk rock groove of some sort. Oh wow, I really dig the slowly churning psychedelic rock feel of this track; the soundscape reminds me a bit of modern stoner rock in quite a few aspects. The song almost feels like some psychedelic bluesy stoner rock version of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35” with the lyrics. Oh wow, the tune gets into a really interesting upbeat groove for the outro. Great tune.
“Pettie’s Blues” gets started with some classic blues rock flavors that seems tinged with psychedelia that reminds me of The Groundhogs and Tony McPhee. Oh wow, the track seems to gradually pick up more psychedelia while ramping up the bluesiness as the lead guitar plays some far out, crunchy licks, and the other instrumentation keeps the tune tightly churning about with bluesy flavorings. I really dig the bluesy flavors in the vocals too as the track gradually seems to pull into the station. Super groovy tune.
“On the Road Again” starts out with some fat bass guitar that seems to be playing a 12-bar blues line of some sort, while some cymbals start to gradually come in to keep the beat. Holy smokes, the electric guitar comes in with some big tone that seems to reach across the soundscape and build up some big bluesy jams. Holy smokes, this track is super groovy, and seems to be a full-blown psychedelic progressive blues rock jam. Oh wow, the bass line changes up a bit and the track enters another movement. Oh wow, this drum solo is super groovy, and really takes the track even further out into psychedelic territory than it already was. Oh wow, the bass guitar comes back into that classic sounding 12-bar blues line, and the track begins ramping up again into what feels like a massive conclusory crescendo to wrap the album together. Oh wow, the track slows down again, as though it’s found its center in this psychedelic jam track. Oh wow, the bands lets loose for the final few measures as the track comes to an end. Great jam track, and a super groovy way to finish the album.
Wow, this album from N.S.U. showed a ton of promise for what the band might’ve been able to do had they stuck together. Though the psychedelic prog rock and psychedelic blues rock genres featured more and more acts, especially in Europe at the time, this album showed some great chops and some seemingly original ideas based on my experience with the genres, with tones and sounds that felt years ahead of their time with songs that at times felt like more mid-1970s blues rock, and even a song that felt like a modern stoner rock track. If you’re into bluesy psychedelic prog rock, 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