Cactus |
Best remembered for two songs: a frenzied, speed-orgy take on Bukka White's"Parchman Farm" and a punishingly heavy cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Evil"released in 1970 and 1971, respectively. Formed by Vanilla Fudge's legendaryrhythm section, bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, the band wassupposed to feature Jeff Beck and rising star singer Rod Stewart as well.Unfortunately for Bogert and Appice (and the rest of us, really) Beck andStewart never came through (Beck was in a car accident and Rod joinedthe Faces) and the band was completed by ex-Detroit Wheels guitarist JimMcCarty and ex-Amboy Dukes singer Rusty Day. Given what could have been andwhat actually did happen, Cactus was, for a long time, considered some kind offailure. But with bands like Drunk Horse, Parchman Farm and Pearls AndBrass, among others, trolling the riff-heavy hard rock of the early '70stoday, and a closer look at the band's better-than-received albums, Cactusends up an essential link in the heavy rock chain.Find Cactus cds and Cactus records on Atco Records. |
