LP - Randy and the Goats - On The Lam - Original Stock Although hes from Albany, Randy Would sounds like hes spent at least 10 years hanging out in the wrong streets of Manhattan (pre-gentrification) and picked up old fragments of Lou Reeds and Bob Dylans souls that were left in the gutter. Droney urban rock with piercing guitar leads, sounding not unlike George Brigman in parts, and thanks to Randys artistic presence and sense of style, completely convincing. Cool record with wide appeal. - Patrick Lundborg (Acid Archives) Review from Discogs: Randy & The Goats..On the Lam 1981 Private US Hard Psych. This ones pretty obscure, but I suspect its only a matter of time until someone discovers its low-fi charms, word gets out, and it becomes a sought after and extremely pricey collectable. Good luck finding something about Randy and the Goats on the web or any musical reference works. The only write up I could find was on the wonderful Acid Archives website, written by the ever insightful Aaron Milenski (if Mr. Milenski likes an album, consider buying a copy !). As a result what little I can tell you about the band comes from the liner notes accompanying the bands first and only album. They were apparently from upstate New York and the line up showcased drummer Rob Cenci, guitarist/keyboard player Mark Chmielinski, bassist Doug Harris, and front man/singer/guitarist Randy Would. Released in 1981, most of their one and only LP was recorded in Rensselar, New Yorks Cathedral Studios with Chmielinski producing. Two tracks were done at Trod Nossel Studios in Wallingford, Connecticut. Released on the small Broken Records label, On the Lam was one of those early-1980s releases that sported a distinctive mid-1970s sound. By the way, that was meant as a compliment ... That said, let me warn you that the set occasionally shows up on dealer lists slapped with a psych label. In the interests of accuracy Ill tell you that while there were minor psych touches, notably from Chmielinski occasional fuzz guitar and It was the End of the Movie Anyway (which had kind of a cool Blue Oyster Cult Dont Fear the Reaper vibe), the album was better classified as a slice of garage/grunge, or perhaps proto-punk. With Would responsible for writing all of the material (bassist Harris co-wrote two tracks), the album effortlessly bounced around between garage/grunge and haunted singer/songwriter with one pretty if atypical ballad thrown in - by the way the stark and stunning Broken was one of the album highlights. As lead singer Would took a little effort to get acclimated to. His ragged and gruff voice and sometimes mubbling delivery wasnt the prettiest instrument youve stumbled across - imagine a younger Springsteen with a nastier street attitude, or perhaps a young Lou Reed who could actually hold a melody and youd be in the right aural neighborhood. On the other hand, his voice and biting delivery were well suited to the bands raw sound and after a couple of songs Would actually sounded pretty good on tracks like the rockers The Day I Left Town, Media-ized, and Nausea # 2. Come to think about it, showcasing Woulds dark and depressing tales of urban angst (Screwed and Murder By Programming) the Lou Reed comparison wasnt that far off ... The album also benefited from The Goats. Cenci and Harris were a devastating rhythm section (Harris bass way up front in the mix), kicking the crap out of these songs, while Chmielinski turned in some nice lead guitar throughout the set - check out his solo on Screwed) Other review clips: --this is a refreshing album, pretty strong stuff, bohemian, indifferent cool ...... Aaron Milenski • The Acid Archives -- tense and catchy.......... Jason Gross • The Village Voice --stark and stunning …Cenci and Harris were a devastating rhythm section, kicking the crap out of these songs while Chmielinski turned in some nice lead guitar throughout the set.......... • Bad Cat Records Listen Here: https://youtube/watch?v=U0QdIrhAzkQ Pick a copy of the LP up in the shop or here: https://shop.permanentrecordschicago/lp-randy-and-the-goats-on-the-lam-original-stock/dp/78585
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 22:53:06 +0000