Many of you have been asking for some old Rock Candy released to complete collections, and here’s one of the rarest, for the first time on CD of “Stepson“, the cult LP from American rockers STEPSON. This ‘remastered & reloaded‘ CD is out of print now, hence a collector’s item.
Based in Los Angeles amidst a backdrop of twee singer songwriters and west coast folk rock nonsense, Stepson must have looked and sounded about as out of place as Adele fronting Black Sabbath. If its power chords and rampaging riffs that float your boat then make sure you brace yourself for the perfect storm.
This is earthy early Seventies ball-busting hard rock, and the music into this album released in 1974 is outrageous for its time, totally in-your-face and a giant F-U to radio station programmers.
There was a private Swedish limited edition CD previously, but this Rock Candy remaster blows that out of the water.
Formed in 1971, this crushing quartet was put together by veterans of the LA scene looking to combine the MC5’s wildcard attack with the blues power of Humble Pie. Bizarrely guitarist Joey Newman had been a member of the Osmonds – he contributed to their hard rock showstopper ‘Crazy Horses’ – before surrendering his soul to Stepson with enough their fire cracker riffage to level a small town.
There’s great ’70s stuff here like the fuzz powered opener ‘Rule In the Book’, the bluesy, Free-styled ‘Suffer’, and the proto-Van Halen closer ‘Burnin’ Hot’, which really did sound like a prototype for Diamond Dave and the Van Halen brothers.
‘Back to ‘Bama’, ‘Man, I’m a Fool’, and ‘Turnpike’ are fun bluesy rockers, with acoustic into the mix and a little country touch.
Issued in 1974 on ABC Records, the album, despite being guided by Leslie West and Mountain’s management, sank without trace. With no marketing and limited live shows outside of Los Angeles it was easy to see why the record fell short of expectations.
Despite the disappointment, Stepson remains a bonafide classic hard rock nugget, and one of the most impressive obscurities of the era.
This is earthy early Seventies ball-busting hard rock. We recommend you listen with a well charged defibrillator and a paramedic close at hand.
Highly Recommended
01 – Rule In The Book
02 – Lil’ Bit
03 – Rude Attitude
04 – It’s My Life
05 – I Apologize
06 – Suffer
07 – Back To Bama
08 – Man, I’m A Fool
09 – Turnpike
10 – Burnin’ Hurt
Jeff Hawks – lead and backing vocals
Joey Newman – guitar, backing vocals
Bruce Hauser – bass
Len Fagan – drums
Jimmy Greenspoon – organ
Don Gallucci – piano on 7
STEPSON – Stepson [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] 2013 , MP3+FLAC
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