Stack Waddy's debut album is one of the "must hear" discs of the early 1970s, an uncompromising roar that might cavort through that shell-shocked no man's land that sprawls between
Captain Beefheart and the
Edgar Broughton Band, but which winds up defiantly beholden to absolutely nothing else you've ever heard -- one reason, perhaps, why the group vanished with so little trace. Recorded live in the studio (or thereabouts),
Stack Waddy is a blurring blend of brutal band originals and deliciously mauled covers.
Beefheart's "Sure Nuff N' Yes I Do" is an unblinking highlight, while raw takes on "Suzie Q" and "Road Runner" remind us of the group's mid-'60s genesis on the Manchester R&B scene. There's also a version of
Jethro Tull's "Love Story" that comes close to topping the
Sensational Alex Harvey Band in terms of lascivious power and ferocity. Certainly John Knail takes no prisoners as he howls his way through and, while
Stack Waddy holds back from completely recreating the live band experience (there are no breaking bottles, for a start), still this is one of those few albums that genuinely requires you to wear protective clothing. ~ Dave Thompson