This CD reissues
Fifty Foot Hose's rare 1968 LP, with the addition of seven interesting bonus tracks.
Cauldron itself is erratic but fascinating. When married to routine blues-rock, the electronic squiggles seem to be covering up the inadequacy of the basic material, and the occasional bleats of pure electronic passages will bore rock-oriented listeners. Yet when combined with lilting-but-disquieting jazz-psychedelic compositions, like the title track and "If Not This Time," it's genuinely original, similar in feel to the oscillation-toned rock of
the United States of America (though
the U.S.A.'s one-shot album was more consistent and smoothly produced). The bonus tracks include the four-song home demo that got them their Limelight contract (two of the cuts would be re-recorded on the LP); except for the rambling and indulgent "Desire," these are up to par with what came out officially. Topping things off are both sides of the "Bad Trip" single by Cork Marcheschi's previous group, the Ethix; the willfully inaccessible blasts of noise rock are among the most uncommercial and downright difficult relics of the psychedelic era that ever made it onto vinyl. ~ Richie Unterberger