![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/parish_hall.jpg\")
One of the longest lists that exists is the one noting recordings that were overlooked because there was simply too much good music already happening. It\u2019s a delight \u2013 especially for a listener who enjoys musical styles whose time has (officially, any way) come and gone \u2013 to discover a long lost, previously unheard gem from, say, 1970.<\/p>\n
Parish Hall was a Bay Area power trio at a time when the power trio sound was just past its peak. By 1970 Cream had come and gone, and Led Zeppelin (an instrumental trio with a singer) was already starting to diversify into acoustic sounds. So it could be argued that by the time the band\u2019s sole release, a self-titled LP on Fantasy Records, appeared, it was too late for them to have much chance at widespread success. The record went out of print and slipped into obscurity (not that it had ever ventured far beyond it to begin with). But undeservedly so.<\/p>\n
Fronted by guitarist, singer and songwriter Gary Wagner \u2013 I\u2019m guessing that\u2019s him on the album\u2019s cover \u2013 Parish Hall rocked, and hard. \u201cMy Eyes Are Getting Heavy\u201d features evocative lyrics and intense, melodic riffage. More than one reviewer has likened the band\u2019s musical character to The Jimi Henderix Experience; while Parish Hall<\/i> is quite a bit less experimental \u2013 you\u2019ll find nothing on the par of Axis: Bold As Love<\/i>\u2019s \u201cEXP\u201d \u2013 the comparison is not without merit.<\/p>\n
Wagner is master of tone; he varies the sonic qualities of his guitar several times within a song; that\u2019s an admirable quality for a power trio. And overdubs mean that you\u2019ll often experience several interesting guitar parts simultaneously. It\u2019s a well-produced record, thanks to Ray Shanklin, presumably the same Shanklin who released a string of rhythm and blues singles.<\/p>\n
Even when Parish Hall<\/i> isn\u2019t groundbreaking \u2013 as on fairly rote bluesers like \u201cDynaflow\u201d \u2013 it\u2019s still compelling. \u201cAin\u2019t Feeling Too Bad\u201d is a rousing number that builds on the Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland style by casting it in a more rock-leaning idiom. Wagner\u2019s organ work is competent, but a proper organ solo (from a guest like, say, Lee Michaels) could have taken the tune into the stratosphere. And even the more contemplative numbers like \u201cSilver Ghost\u201d have appeal, with a sound halfway between Grand Funk Railroad and The Allman Brothers.<\/p>\n
A listen to \u201cSkid Row Runner\u201d suggests that the members of Parish Hall were well acquainted with Led Zeppelin\u2019s first album. \u201cLucanna\u201d enters the speed guitar sweepstakes, Alvin Lee division, and fares well in the competition. \u201cWe\u2019re Gonna Burn Together\u201d does well with a familiar chord progression, though its slightly thin production values feel out of step with the rest of the record.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody Got the Blues\u201d is roaring blues that should have made fellow Bay Area blues artists like Steve Miller take notice (there\u2019s no evidence that it did so). The plodding, sinister \u201cHow Can You Win\u201d is a bit too reminiscent of \u201cIf 6 Was 9,\u201d but let\u2019s not hold that against it; Parish Hall displayed enough originality elsewhere to merit giving them a pass on this one. The piano-centric \u201cTake Me With You When You Go\u201d offers a quieter feel to close the album, but it inserts additional variety into the album, suggesting that \u2013 had they continued \u2013 Parish Hall might have made a follow-up record worthy of hearing. But their self-titled effort would be the only recorded document of the group.<\/p>\n
Original copies of Parish Hall<\/i> \u2013 should you find them \u2013 change hands on discogs.com for the median price of $140. Due to the limited, enforced-scarcity nature of Record Store Day releases, the new vinyl reissue from Craft Recordings will likely soon fetch high prices as well. Out September 26; get it while you can, if you can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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