Cargo

1972 Netherlands

Notes originally published in the Outer Music Diary on January 12, 2005. Edited on September 19, 2007.

The best way to tackle this album is to start from the end. And here you'll find an absolute barnstormer of a song, the 15+ minute `Summerfair'. It's just relentless, like the very best of the Allman Brothers, Quicksilver and Frank Marino rolled into one. I'm not sure exactly why this track works so much better than others in the genre, though I suspect it has something to do with the soft vocals, hyperactive drumming and wah-wah rhythm guitar. And, of course, the lead guitar leaves me in a sweat. By itself, this composition is the absolute pinnacle of the style. Working backwards, there's `Finding Your Way', which starts out in `Tobacco Road' territory before busting out of the gates for yet another intense jam. Then it's on to track number 2, the fascinating `Cross Talking', which is a neat instrumental concept of wah guitars "talking" back and forth with a cool funky rhythm. And finally, we hit the opener, `Sail Away'. The first 4 to 5 minutes are fairly off-putting straight ahead rock and roll. But at 11 total minutes, there's plenty of room for inventive musicianship.

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