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Dogfeet - Dogfeet (1970)

Track listing:
  1. Mr. Sunshine 11:09
  2. Armageddon 4:35
  3. Theme 1:56
  4. On The Road 4:58
  5. Now I Know 3:09
  6. For Mary 2:04
  7. On The Road 5:03
  8. Reprise 8:17
  9. Now I Know 3:09
  10. Since I Went Away 2:57
  11. Clouds 5:06
  12. Evil Women 5:03
  13. Armageddon 4:21
  14. For Mary & Child 5:45
  15. Voodoo Chile 10:53

Notes

This guitar-bass-drums quartet thrived on much of the same echoed-and-reverbed guitar workouts one would come to expect from the period, and released one now rather obscure album on the equally as obscure Reflection label in 1970, reissued on CD by Kissing Spell in 1994. The throbbing, pulsating, incessant bass driven opener, "Mr. Sunshine" is a chromatic 4-chord romp in minor, which lasts over 11 minutes, and could've been a real find for some disco mogul, had it been recorded 7-9 years later! The warning rhythms and more minor chords on "Armageddon" carry on the proceedings nicely with plenty of drama; short interludes like "Theme" fall into the same territory and tread much the same ground as some of the spacier, quainter moments of Wishbone Ash and vintage Black Sabbath, whereas tracks like "On The Road", add a bit of lazy boogie'n'roll into the melting pot in - what else - minor!

Kissing Spell have done very little in the way of restoring the original sound, so the CD sounds quite gritty and most definitely "live" (even the studio tracks which constitute the main bulk here), but maybe that's part of the charm?

Not essential listening for prog or 70s heavy rock aficionados, but a nice companion perhaps to a serious retro party, complete with lava lamps, bandanas, long hair and well worn out bell bottomed denim...

Dogfeet formed in the late 60's as a heavy blues band, but after their record deal changed to a sound considered more “commercial”. Their 1970 LP is a highly unusual beast, with subdued dual guitar dualing, echoing vocals and atmospheric percussion and bass…. Sometimes reminiscent of early Fleetwood Mac. Currently the original LP is worth over £500. Their second single was to have been “Mr Sunshine”, a cover of their friends “Andwellas Dream” legendary psychedelic track - but it was withdrawn from release. A recent incarnation of Dogfeet perform a blistering rendition of Mr Sunshine on this CD. This CD adds 4 previously unreleased demo tracks for the LP, and 2 long live jams by a recent reincarnation of the band.