LYD

Album review

Early-'70s acid rock artifacts don't get any more rare than this eponymous 10" committed to tape by Los Angeles cult act Lyd in January 1970. Containing six songs clocking in at a mere 21 minutes, Lyd is, admittedly, more of a curiosity than a landmark, as its competent fusion of psychedelic and garage rock makes for compelling listening, but isn't very original or groundbreaking. It does, however, qualify as an interesting musical snapshot of the '60s aesthetic as it gives way to that of the '70s. Superb, hybridized examples of either decades' musical movements are on offer here, starting with the exceedingly trippy opener "The Time of Hate and Struggle," which is instantly stillborn as a psychedelic relic. Conversely, its immediate follower "Need You" is punchy, concise, and, along with the also memorable "Crash Pad," a perfect candidate for the Nuggets treatment. Rounding things out, "Stay High/My Way Is Still Kay" shows a recognizable debt to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and "Double Dare" is a Stooges-lite song sketch lasting barely two minutes, while the seven-minute jam "Think It Over (I'm Outta Sight)" recalls both Cream and contemporary American proto metal group Sir Lord Baltimore. (And no, you should not feel guilty for thinking all of the above sound like song titles from the Austin Powers soundtrack.) In other words, this is one for psychedelic record collecting geeks only, but recommended at that.

© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo