On April 17, Guerssen Records is releasing four singles to mark the label’s 30th anniversary. All but one 45 is a split, and the bands include The Attack, The Voice, In Black and White, Mandrake Paddle Steamer, Fairfield Ski, Ngozi Family, and Crossbones. The stylistic range, from freakbeat to psych-rock to Zamrock, makes picking up more than one or even the entire batch of these limited editions quite tempting. Happy anniversary to Guerssen Records!
Formed by singer Richard Shirman in 1966, The Attack cut four singles for Decca across a two-year existence. Each record documented a unique lineup of the band, with Sherman the only constant member. Perhaps remembered best for releasing the original “Hi Ho Silver Lining” (Jeff Beck’s more famous version following quickly after), The Attack’s finest moment might just be “Magic In the Air,” a slice of prime freakbeat that was rejected by the label for being too raw and raucous.
“Magic In the Air” is combined with the fuzzed-out and dark, indeed apocalyptic, freakbeat mayhem of “Train to Disaster” by Scotland’s The Voice. It’s the A-side to the band’s only single, released by Mercury in 1966. The Voice might’ve cut another record except that a portion of the lineup bailed for the Bahamas as part of The Process church. Knowledge of this cult affiliation intensifies the darkness of “Train to Disaster,” but it’s a nasty burst of proto-punk scuzz all on its own.
Speaking of Mercury Records, it was the US branch of the label that issued the sole LP by The Wizards From Kansas, a bunch of Sunflower Staters transplanted to San Francisco. But before the formation of Wizards From Kansas, member John Paul Coffin played in the band In Black and White, a psychedelic affair that cut a few songs in a Prairie Village, KS studio in 1967. Guerssen has pulled “Nowhere This Time,” a fine serving of garage-psych for the A-side of this very welcome archival edition.
Along with lead guitarist Coffin, In Black and White included rhythm guitarist Hal Pierce, bassist Tim Hamilton, and drummer Bob May. Future Grateful Dead producer Stephen Barncard recorded these previously unreleased tracks, giving them a sturdy sonic bedrock. If “Nowhere This Time” is the real treat here, the flip “How Can I Make it” is a fine bit of psych-tinged jangle that is pretty obviously influenced by The Byrds.
Formed in London, Mandrake Paddle Steamer cut one psychedelic single for Parlophone in 1969. Subsequent compilation appearances have solidified the band’s rep, enough so that Guerssen issued a full-length comp of unreleased material back in 2019. The title track to that LP, the vaguely Cream-like “Pandemonium Shadow Show,” is given the A-side of a split with Fairfield Ski.
Emerging out of the late ’60s Birmingham, UK scene, Fairfield Ski is noted for a 1973 album that was recorded at Trident Studios and Abbey Road and was long purported to be a lost gem in the early ’70s Brit prog-rock puzzle. “No Good Child,” Fairfield Ski’s B-side here, is previously unreleased, and while there are some hints at prog due to the presence of an organ, the song is much more of a glam-kissed hard rock groover, and if not a killer, it goes down okay.
It’s no exaggeration to describe the Ngozi Family as a cornerstone of 1970s Zambian hard rock, an outpouring described as Zamrock for short. “Hi Babe” is given the A-side here, culled from the band’s Day of Judgment LP from 1976. The track is a gloriously fuzzy groove gallop lacking in an ounce of excess fat or any trace of polish. The guitar solo is a healing experience.
For the flip, Guerssen taps Zamrockers Crossbones, culling “Really” from the band’s 1976 LP Wise Man. Contrasting with Ngozi, Crossbones’ juggernaut of fuzz soars rather than stomps. The extended soloing here is also a total gas, and the vocal ranting brings it all home.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
The Attack, “Magic In the Air” b/w The Voice, “Train to Disaster”
A- / A-
In Black and White, “Nowhere This Time” b/w “How Can I Make It”
A-
Mandrake Paddle Steamer, “Pandemonium Shadow Show” b/w Fairfield Ski, “No Good Child”
B+ / B
Ngozi Family, “Hi Babe” b/w Crossbones, “Really”
A- / A-
