Cactus

CACTUS TODAY IS A BAND THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE POPULAR THAN IT WAS.TIM BOGERT AND CARMINE APPICE WERE AT AN END OF A THREE YEAR RUN AS THE RHYTHM SECTION FOR THE BAND VANILLA FUDGE.THE PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC THEY,D BEEN CREATING WAS FALLING OUT OF FASHION AND A MORE HEAVY AMPLIFIED BLUES WAS THE NEW RAGE.CREAM,THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE WERE DOMINATING THE RADIO AIRWAVE,WITH BANDS LIKE THE JEFF BECK GROUP AND LED ZEPPELIN.BOGERT AND APPICE WERE LOOKING TO FIND A VEHICLE FOR THIS DEVELOPING SCENE.WITH AN IDEAL AT HAND THEY LOOKED AT OTHER MUSICIANS WHO COULD PLAY FEROCIOUSLY AS ANYONE ON THE SCENE.TALKS BETWEEN APPICE,BOGERT AND JEFF BECK WERE IN THE STAGES OF BECOMING A REALITY,FATE WOULD HAVE IT JEFF BECK A DRAG RACING FAN BROKE HIS LEG DOING JUST THAT,AND THIS IDEA CAME TO AN END.JEFF WOULD BE LAID-UP FOR MONTHS,SO BOGERT AND APPICE STARTED LOOKING FOR OTHERS TO FORM ANOTHER BAND.THEY DIDN,T HAVE LONG TO WAIT WHEN HELP CAME IN THE FORM OF MOTOR-CITY,S JIM MCCARTHY,THE ORIGINAL GUITARIST WITH MITCH RYDER AND DETROIT WHEELS,THE BUDDY MILES EXPRESS.TERRY KELLY WHO DIDN,T MAKE THE CUT SAID HE KNEW OF A GOOD SINGER BY THE NAME OF RUSTY DAY.RUSTY HAD SANG FOR THE AMBOY DUKES AND THE BAND WAS COMPLETE.CACTUS STARTED JAMMING AND WRITING ORIGINAL MATERIAL FOR A RECORD DEAL,IT CAME IN A WAY OF AN CONTRACT WITH ATLANTIC RECORDS.RECORDING BEGIN AT ULTRA SONICS STUDIOS IN FEBRUARY 1970 A LONG ISLAND FACILITY USED BY BOGERT AND APPICE IN VANILLA FUDGE.THE TRACKS FOR THE DEBUT ALBUM SIMPLY CALLED "CACTUS" ARE "PARCHMAN FARM"-"BRO. BILL"-"MY LADY FROM SOUTH OF DETROIT"-"YOU CAN,T JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER"-"LET ME SWIM"-"NO NEED TO WORRY"-"OLEO"-"FEEL SO GOOD" .THE PERSONNAL ARE CARMINE APPICE(DRUMMER,VOCALS)-TIM BOGERT(BASS,VOCALS)-JIM MCCARTHY(GUITAR,VOCALS)AND RUSTY DAY(LEAD VOCALS).IF YOU GET TIRED OF THE SAME OLD THING,GET OUT OF THE RUTT OF TODAYS MUSIC!PUT THE VINYL OR THE CD VERSION AND PLAY IT LOUD!THIS MUSIC HAS BALLS!P,S.AMAZON.COM HAS BOTH VERSIONS ON THERE SITE.thx00z.

The vinyl was not the one I asked for. Even though the cover was the one from Cactus, to my surprise when I finally opened it, I found the content was from another different artist. Instead of being the first album by Cactus, the vinyl disc inside the sleeve was the album "Motherland" by Nathalie Merchant.Amazon refuses to solve my problem, by saying the deadline to make a claim ended on january the 1st 2020. Unfortunately, I just realize about the mistake, because after months having the supposed Cactus vinyl (since the cover is ok) I just opened the record to listen to for the first time.

For fans of blues drenched hyped-up rock n roll, look no further than this overlooked 1969/70 classic powered by the legendary Jim McCarty ( Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels, DETROIT ) the master of the short explosive guitar solo gets to stretch out with the legendary Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice (who went on to join Jeff Beck in B, B & C) and funky scrappy vocalist Rusty Day. Sometimes called the American Led Zeppelin--what else do you need to know?! KILLIN'

Okay, so they didn't become as famous as Free or sell as many records as Led Zeppelin. There's an also-ran category in rock that was every bit as good as the giant hit makers. They just didn't have the hits. Of course, we're talking about a time when the B side of a single was often far better than the A side "hit". A time when you bought the record because there was more good music there- not just filler to support the single. Some groups like Jo Jo Gunne, The Michael Stanley Band, and many more made a good living for awhile by playing and recording very good music. Music that holds up just as well today. Cactus is among that group. Fairly well known at the time, as much for where the members came from as for who they were together, somehow they never made the leap to national hits and later classic rock airplay. But anyone with a liking for early 70's blues oriented rock will love these guys. I highly recommend it to fans of Free & Bad Company, SRV, Allman Bros. and all those bluesy groups.

Love it, Love it, Love it. Jim McCarty called it "their speed album". He's right ! It thrust right into the center of the brain and drives you insane with that boogie shuffle. Excellent Blues-Rock, Boogie and Straight Forward Blues ! They played my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC but I wasn't able to go. I wish I could get another chance to see them again. I highly recommend this album to anyone that loves Heavy Hard-Charging Blues-Rock Music.

When Vanilla Fudge broke up, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice formed Cactus. Jeff Beck was to be the lead guitarist, but an auto accident prevented him from taking the spot ( he would later team up with them for Beck, Bogert and Appice). Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and Rusty Day from the Amboy Dukes (Ted Nugent) completed the band. The music was a blend of hard rock, heavy metal (old heavy metal, as in Led Zeppelin, UFO, Uriah Heep), and blues. It is enjoyable if you understand the music of that period in Rock evolution.

Mainly a blues rock them throughout the album though a variety of moods and tempo from slow, sorrowful blues to super fast rockin' blues. One of the best albums ever produced in the early seventies and has stood the test of time.

Great music from a band from long ago. This was their first album. Members from Vanilla Fudge, Amboy Dukes, Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels.

really brings back a lot of graveyard memories ,and moments with my wife ,thats why i bought the other titles

Album was GOOD but PACKAGING AWFUL!!!! Thinly packaged in cardboard and looks like it got handled hard!!!! Album edge was visible outside casing!!!!! Small scratch on first track!!!! If it didn't take over 6 weeks for it to get here I'd RETURN IT!!!!

ヴァニラ・ファッジが結構好きで、特に３枚目の「ルネッサンス」は彼ら最高の作品だとまで思い、気にしてウオッチしていたのですが、残念なことに解散してしまい、ベースのティム・ボガードとドラムのカーマイン・アピスが作ったバンドがこれです。解散したときは、ジェフ・ベックとグループを作るという話があったように記憶しておりますが、それが実現するのは、この「カクタス」での活動をしばしやってからの話となります。当時、気になりつつも限られた財源でレコードを買っていたもので、当時はレンタルもないし、気になりつつなかなか聴くことの出来なかった１枚です。２人はこういうサウンドを指向していたのかと妙に納得するサウンドです。

1970年代初頭は、破竹の勢いだったイギリスの“レッド・ツェッペリンに対するアメリカからの回答”と絶賛されながら、カクタスがややB級感が否めないのは実働僅か2年間という短命に終わった事ではないでしょうか…?その証拠に再結成後のステージ映像しか投稿されておらず、スタジオ録音の臨場感が伝わらないのは誠に遺憾であります。1966年の全米チャート6位を記録したシュープリームスの「キープ・ミー・ハンギン・オン」も名アレンジでしたが、冒頭から圧巻のオープニングは1957年のモーズ・アリソン作、まずツイン・バスドラムを駆使した重低音に圧倒される“A面1曲目最強説”の代名詞です。「パーチマン・ファーム/Parchman Farm」[...]上記の理由により敢えて取り上げませんが、ティム・ボガートの見せ場タップリな「オウリオウ」やカーマイン・アピスのドラム・ソロが聴ける「フィール・ソー・グッド」、ジム・マッカーティのブルージーなギターが炸裂する「ユー・キャント・ジャッジ・ア・ブック・バイ・ザ・カヴァー」など全8曲を収録、アメリカン・ハード・ロック史上に燦然と輝く1枚と言えるでしょう。ジムマッカーティの推薦で参加した初代ヴォーカリストであり、元アンボイ・デュークスのラスティ・デイ(各1971年、1972年に脱退)も、リーダーだったテッド・ニュージェントの影に隠れていた様な気がしましたが、本作では後任のピーター・フレンチに負けずとも劣らない歌唱力とブルースハープを披露しています。しかし、カクタス解散から10年経った1982年、確か当時のニュース番組で報道されたと記憶しますが、残念ながら麻薬事件に巻き込まれて銃殺されました(享年36歳)。

後追い聴きの若輩者ですが、このアルバムを聴いたときの衝撃たるや凄まじいものでした。1970年の（個人的）名盤としてBlack Sabbathの1st、StoogesのFun House、そして本作を挙げます。いずれもスタジオライブ的な生々しい音像で、各楽器の音が明瞭かつ大迫力で録音されています。そしてこの3枚は時代を軽々と超越するような凄みを持っています。本作は、当時のトレンドであったブルースハードロックを、当時最高レベルであろう演奏技術と、他に類を見ないまでのやかましさでもって演奏したバンドの、ギネス記録級歴史的デビューアルバムであります。Zepら英国ハードロック勢をお手本にした典型的ヘヴィーブルースロックスタイルながら、あまりにやかましくアグレッシブなのでまるでエクストリームミュージックの一種であるかのように錯覚してしまいます。しかし本作はやかましさを極めただけといった、アバンギャルドでマニアックなものでは決してなく、メジャー作品の風格すら漂う作品です。アコースティックなバラードやスローブルースが収録されるなど懐が深く、曲のアレンジも凝っており、スタジオでジャムっただけみたいな安易な曲は一曲も入っていません。また70年代初頭のハードロックに多いB級っぽくかび臭い雰囲気が一切漂っていないのもすごい。サイケデリックの余韻をばっさり断ち切っており、ハードロックに徹しています。このバンドが通好みな知る人ぞ知るバンドというような位置にいるのが信じられません。そして特に本作はロック名盤100選みたいな企画の常連アルバムでなければいけない重要なアルバムだと思います。