Now Playing: Music Emporium
Topic: Addition
LODESTONE ( )
Main Street 1974 (no label LD 101)
This generic-looking private press looks like the work of stoned hippies, and maybe it is, but the music is straightforward rock and roll with a definite 50s influence. Lyrics are dopey (the title track is about boozing up girls and trying to get them into the back seat) and though vocals are weak this is way closer to pop than hard rock. “If You Want My Love” goes all out to be catchy, with lead and rhythm riffs, a poppy verse and harmony-laden chorus. It’s too wimpy to be power pop and not competent enough to be soft rock, but it has a bargain basement charm that makes me wonder if it’s better like this than it would be if a “good” band did a version of it. Other songs are gutter blues, upbeat (but never hard) rock, and more pop, never forgetting that 50s base, and mercifully keeping the only ballad to a mere 1:30. Songs speed up and slow down randomly. This is a really weird record, not good by any objective standard, but they seem to be having a great time and they stay obviously true to who they are. As a result, it’s oddly enjoyable and rather unpredictable. [AM]
