CACTUS - One Way... Or Another [1971] Victor Entertainment Japan VICW-70007 [2009] FLAC

 One Way... Or Another (1971) was the second studio outing to feature the incipient incarnation of supergroup Cactus, comprised of Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), as well as former Amboy Dukes lead vocalist Rusty Day (vocals/mouth harp), and Jim McCarty (guitar) from Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and the Buddy Miles Express. Even as their debut was ostensibly rawer, they retained the same amp'ed-up electric blues reminiscent of early Grand Funk Railroad and Foghat. The more polished outcome heard on their sophomore effort is undoubtedly the direct result of assistance from recording engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer and their upgraded digs at the recently completed Electric Lady Studios, which they inhabited shortly after the passing of the facilities' owner, Jimi Hendrix. Immediately, the proceedings are thrust into high gear with a languorous and seething interpretation of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." While not the extended barnburner it became in concert, it gets things off to a rousing start. The lightweight up-tempo "Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like" could easily be mistaken for Jo Jo Gunne, especially in Day's vocal asides, strongly recalling Jay Ferguson and company. "Rock 'N' Roll Children" is a heavier number with McCarty unleashing rounds of impressive and impellent fretwork churning atop the simmering backbeat. Cactus do what they do best, returning to their boogie rock roots on the suitably named "Big Mama Boogie -- Parts 1 & 2." McCarty's pumping acoustic opening is perfectly augmented by some organic mouth harp courtesy of Day before launching into an explosive assault of pure, unadulterated proto- metal. The cover of Chuck Willis' "Feel So Bad" is given a sizable shakedown, yet doesn't quite seem to live up to its potential. The opposite can be said of the understated "Song for Aries." Although clocking in at just under three minutes, the instrumental is a showcase for McCarty's immorally underrated lead guitar. The long-player concludes with two full-blown centerpieces, revealing Cactus' strength as a formidable powerhouse combo on the autobiographically-inspired rave-up "Hometown Bust." Fittingly, this lineup and album come to an end on a high note with the title track "One Way...Or Another." The number is quite possibly the finest original to have been worked up by the band. The cut blazes from tip-to-tail and if the primary riff seems familiar, that may be because it was lifted almost verbatim from Jeff Beck's Beck-Ola-era tune "Rice Pudding." However in Cactus' care, it stomps with a bit more crunch and no-nonsense attitude. by Lindsay Planer  
Tracklist
1 Long Tall Sally 05:54
2 Rockout, Whenever You Feel Like 04:01
3 Rock N' Roll Children 05:43
4 Big Mama Boogie - Parts 1 & 2 05:29
5 Feel So Bad 05:39
6 Song For Aries 03:06
7 Hometown Bust 06:39
8 One Way...Or Another 05:07
41:42
Credits
Tim Bogert - bass, background vocals, lead vocals on track 2
Carmine Appice - drums, percussion, background vocals
Jim McCarty - guitar
Rusty Day - vocals, harmonica

 Cactus - One Way...Or Another  (C)1971  

Victor Entertainment Japan VICW-70007 (2009) FLAC / scan

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CACTUS - Cactus [1970]

Cactus may have never amounted to anything more than a half-hearted, last-minute improvised supergroup, but that don't mean their eponymous 1970 debut didn't rock like a mofo. The already quasi-legendary Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of Bogert and Appice may have provided the backbone of the band's business cards, and soulful, ex-Amboy Duke Rusty Day brought the voice, but it was arguably former Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty who was the true star in the Cactus galaxy, spraying notes and shredding solos all over album highlights such as "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover," "Let Me Swim," and, most notably, a manic, turbocharged version of "Parchman Farm." The fact that Cactus chose to tackle this classic blues song just a year after it'd been blasted into the fuzz-distortion stratosphere by Blue Cheer betrays -- at best -- a healthy competitive spirit within the early-'70s hard rock milieu, and at worst it suggests something of a mercenary nature to Cactus' motives, but that's an issue for the surviving bandmembers to duke it out over in the retirement home. And we digress -- for the blistering closing duo of "Oleo" and "Feel So Good" (complete with bass and drum solo slots) easily certifies the Cactus LP as one of the best hard rock albums of the then brand-new decade, bar none. Too bad the illustrious members of Cactus would quickly lose interest in this band project and deliver increasingly mediocre efforts in the years that followed.  by Eduardo Rivadavia 
Tracklist  
1 Parchman Farm 3:05
Written-By – Mose Allison 
2 My Lady From South Of Detroit 4:20
3 Bro. Bill 5:10
4 You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover 6:44
Written-By – Willie Dixon
5 Let Me Swim 3:50
6 No Need To Worry 6:00
7 Oleo 4:49
8 Feel So Good 6:00
Credits
Bass – Tim Bogert
Drums – Carmine Appice
Guitar – Jim McCarty (2)
Vocals, Harp – Rusty Day
Written-By – C. Appice (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 8), J. McCarty (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 8),
                  R. Day (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 8), T. Bogert (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 8)

CACTUS
Cactus [1970]
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O Púbis da Rosa