Boomerang

Although they were blessed from the start with stronger business connections and longer musical pedigree than most new hard rock acts of the early '70s, New York's promising Boomerang never lived up to commercial expectations, and their failed bid for stardom was both disappointing and fleeting. When the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice quit to form hard rockers Cactus in 1970, vocalist and keyboard player Mark Stein briefly considered carrying on with replacement musicians before realizing he'd do better moving on to newer pastures himself. Turning down an offer from Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun to record a solo album, Stein set about forming a new outfit to front, and the result was the short-lived Boomerang. Drummer James Galluzi and bassist/vocalist Jo Casmir were both Vanilla Fudge fans from nearby Poughkeepsie, New York, and with the arrival of teenage guitar prodigy Ricky Ramirez, Boomerang dove headlong into writing and rehearsing new material in a bluesy, hard rock vein that was far more straightforward than the Fudge. Scoring a deal with RCA, Boomerang issued their self-titled debut in 1971, but were soon floundering due to less-than sterling live shows and leader Mark Stein's own lack of motivation. Sharing management with the notably more successful Cactus made for some uncomfortable politics as well, and, although a second album was actually recorded, a disillusioned and disinterested Stein decided to shelve both the record and Boomerang's career forever. © Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo