Jargon 2011 / Out-Sider 2015
Warning In The Sky
Arresting artifact from 1970: acidic hard rock at its most delicious.
Despite their name, this quartet, formed in New York in 1968, could hardly be influenced by British bands of similar stripe, but a couple of years earlier the Americans would have given them a run for their heavy money if only SABBATIS’ demo was released then. It doesn’t sound like demo, though, and it’s a testament to the art of future Grammy-winner Mick Guzauski, who produced the recording, as well as to the band’s infectious attack. Organ and guitar riffs aplenty, the album has a psychedelic hue to it, yet there’s a firm rhythm-and-blues rooting in opener “Everyday Is Cool” which keeps the wild virtuoso solo flights in check right until “Bought And Sold” disperses the electricity for an acoustic strum and voice before gaining momentum.
Jim Marvin’s vocals might not match his six-string skills, but they perfectly fit the memorable gloom of “The Devil’s In You” and “Crystal Mirror” that are shot through with Rocky Kaler’s rumbling bass, while Gary Culotta’s Hammond carries the unison-laden weight of “Warning In The Sky” with its Hendrixian splashes and shadows of gothic chorale. But for all the deceptive seriousness of it all, and the well-textured depth of epic “Conversation With Billy” which fathoms the doom of desperation, “Green Glass And All That Jazz” rides a catchy groove of romantic disposition. And this can be said of the album as whole: a genuine lost treasure.
****4/5
