The Temptations
Psychedelic Shack (Motown/Universal/Elemental)
Via the incredible mass of Motown reissues that we've been treated to in recent months, our journey into the Temptations' serious psychedelic period continues with Psychedelic Shack, the 1970 album that happened to be the group's twelfth.
Produced by Norman Whitfield, the album was also written by Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and by the start of the '70s the Temptations had pretty much let go of the traditional Motown sound. On the sleeve, a cartoon-ish shack is decorated with swirling colors and a "ban the bomb" symbol. Just to hammer the hippie tendencies home, the words "flower power" are sprayed across the door.
The Woodstock-esque, LSD vibe continues with the music, particularly on songs such as "Take a Stroll Through Your Mind" and the title track.
The music is gloriously dirty at times, riotous as others, even recalling fellow Detroit boys the MC5. This is a Temptations that wanted to be taken very seriously as the decade of love was ending and something decidedly thoughtful, sinister even, was around the corner.
People who have only heard the "greatest hits" might think they know the Temptations. They don't.
Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown
Live from '79 (Rattlesnake)
Last week, we wrote about Das Damen because we found that band's LP in a little pile in our new editor's office. The gem from Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown was also in that pile, so here we go...
The Tennessee, blue-rock/hard-rock outfit formed in 2008 and has released six studio album. This, however, is a live album that was recorded in May of 2023 and released that September.
"This album was performed, mixed, and mastered direct to disc at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, TN on the evening of May 12, 2023," the sleeve reads. A quick look at the website for the Welcome to 1979 studio reveals that "live to vinyl events" are something that they do, so it all makes sense.
This is a great record, by a band that clearly felt like they were capturing a moment. The opening "House on Fire" sets the tone, and "On to the Next" is an appropriate statement of intent. Fans of Detrot garage rock bands such as the Dirtbombs and the Gories will lap this up, and it's tinged with some southern rock for flavor.
All in all, the record is quite the find.
