Proof

Albumbeschreibung

Originally issued in 1971 as a pressing of a mere 300 copies with no label, Proof's seven tracks were assembled from two 1970 concerts in Anchorage, AK, where the band opened for Jefferson Airplane and Rick Nelson. Consisting entirely of covers and recorded in listenable but definitely subpar sound, one has to wonder why all but the most obsessive collectors would be interested in picking it up. It's rare, certainly (well, not so rare after being reissued on CD by Akarma in the early '00s). Actually, Proof was a competent and enjoyable band, but strictly opening-act material, as, in fact, this music was in real life. Most of the covers are of blues or blues-rock tunes, though to their credit they chose some that in 1970 weren't hackneyed, like Junior Wells' "Snatch It Back," Lonnie Mack's "Why" and "She Don't Come Here Anymore," and the blues "Ridin' on the L&N." Moving beyond blues, there are also interpretations of Buddy Holly's "Love's Made a Fool of You" and Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited." The best track, though hardly an immortal one, is the cover of "Baby Please Don't Go," which turns the standard into a mournful minor-key number.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo