PROBE - DIRECTION

FROM THE ACID ARCHIVES

This is pretty amateurish stuff, and falls into a category somewhere between Bachs/Mystery Meat garage and post-Iron Butterfly hard rock. There's lots of organ and wah-wah, phased drums, an energetic Steve Miller cover, a definite soul influence, and harmonies that don't quite cut it. The best thing about the album is the interplay between the lead guitar and the eerie-sounding organ. None of it is played particularly well, but the spirit is cool in a youthful way and the songs aren't bad. Best song: "Two Roads In The Night," which has a memorable guitar hook, varying speeds and a tricky chord progression. The songs are surprisingly complex; they have ambitions beyond their chops. "Direction" has its faults, but overall it's one of the more enjoyable albums of its style. A long bluesy cover of "Rock Me" is regrettable, though. Recommended to people who like prep rock but wish it was heavier. [AM]
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Bread'n'butter local basement longhairs who probably played high schools and clubs in their home-town without aspiring to a high level of artistry. The vibe is post-psychedelic, rootsy bluesy in parts, proggy hardrock in parts. Setting is typical guitar/organ interplay, with some surprisingly sophisticated jazzy guitarwork that doesn't quite gel with the bonehead feel of other parts of the LP; good old local LP idiosynchracy in other words. The vocals tend to fall in the unfortunate soulful macho style of the era which keeps this from attaining the full teenage realness of albums like Top Drawer or the Rockadelic roster. All over a difficult album to knock, but equally difficult to find reasons for people to pick up, unless they have some personal memories attached to the scene. Probe released this to get gigs and delight friends and family, and apart from the excellent "Two Roads", the "Direction" trip doesn't really extend beyond those humble ambitions. The small press size has been reported by the band. [PL]

ROCKIN HOOD SAID... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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