Madder Lake – “Stillpoint”

Madder Lake were a five-piece Australian outfit – Mick Fettes (vocals), Brenden Mason (lead guitar), Kerry McKenna (bass, synthesizers, vocals),  John McKinnon (piano, organ, vocals) and Jack Kreemers (drums, congas, gong) – that made a big splash in their home country in the early 1970s. The band’s strengths were mixing progressive rock with the blues and bits of psychedelic. Their debut album, Stillpoint, was recorded in 1973 in just six days and has a wonderful feel of immediacy. Its original seven tracks have been padded here with seven additional tunes, thanks to the superb reissue courtesy of Australian label Aztec Music.

The opening “Salmon Song” is one of the band’s best, sounding like Traffic meets Nektar. It builds slowly, climbing through more than six minutes of spacy keyboard, wah-wah guitar and perfectly paced drumming via Kreemers, before Fettes jumps in, singing “Working my head to my head to my body/Working my head to my head to my toes,” along a howling guitar line. “On My Way To Heaven” is a slab of tasty boogie rock, with a gutsy Fettes’ vocal and excellent harmony singing from McKenna and McKinnon. “Helper” is a psychedelic rocker, with some gorgeous guitar work from Mason and a resounding gong blast to bring the tune home.

“Listen The Morning Sunshine” is an upbeat  with some doo-wop-ish vocals that turns far heavier, with a heavily processed vocal, driving bass line and more great guitar from Mason. The song then deters into a reverb-soaked coda with a tribal drum beat. The sunny “Goodbye Lollipop” – though catchy – was more of the band reaching for a chart hit and to appease management than being representative. Still, it turns the standard bubble gum tune on its head with a complex arrangement, even busting out with a swirl of keyboards that sounds more like Uriah Heep than Sagittarius. And the vocals are excellent. “Song For Little Ernest” is another striking number, with perhaps Fettes’ finest singing.

“12-lb. Toothbrush,” which closes the set, became Madder Lake’s signature tune, drawing you in with its made-to-sing-along vocal “Na na na nanana na.” The song is a fitting bookend to “Salmon Song,” giving the band members further space to journey through sound while bringing the listener along.

Of the bonuses, there are two more versions of “12-lb. Toothbrush” – a pared-down single version and a live version taken from The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973. Other highlights include “Bumper Bar Song” – released originally as the B-side to “Goodbye Lollipop” – an excellent proggy number, featuring cool octave guitar lines and cymbal work; and “Country Blues,” whose swampy barrelhouse swagger bridges The Faces, Little Feat and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Beyond the music, the album features some awesome Middle Earth-esque cover art courtesy of band roadie and confidant Drak. The liners indicate a second Madder Lake reissue is in the works at Aztec, and the band members – all save for McKinnon – are back together and enjoying a second go-round at making music. Good news, indeed.

Visit Madder Lake’s Web site for the latest news, tour info and more.

Below is a video from 1973 of the band performing “12-lb. Toothbrush.”

Comments

eNews & Updates

Sign up to receive breaking news
as well as receive other site updates!

• Recent Posts

  • The Flatlanders – “More A Legend Than A Band”
  • 158 photos of Jeff Beck live at the Fillmore, New York, April 9-10
  • No-Man “Schoolyard Ghosts”
  • Allman Brothers Band – “End Of The Line” video
  • Joe Jackson – “Look Sharp!” album review

• Recent Comments

  • Jon Dubin: I got to meet Stu and listen to a few of his songs and jingles live at my aunts house in the mid to late…
  • TW: Hi Pat, I forwarded your question to Stu. Here’s his response: I wrote words and music to “Main…
  • Pat Engle: Stu is credited with the music and words for “I’m Walkin’ Right Down the Middle of Main…
  • Pekka: Actually, the ‘74 session is Quatermass. The original version of that band featured Robinson, Gustafson…
  • TW: Thanks for the info!

• Bands

  • Allman Brothers Band
  • April Wine
  • Black Crowes
  • Bob Dylan
  • Cheap Trick
  • Deep Purple
  • Focus
  • Gentle Giant
  • Good Rats
  • Jade Warrior
  • Jan Akkerman
  • Jethro Tull
  • Kansas
  • Kim Mitchell
  • King Crimson
  • Klaatu
  • Marillion
  • Nazareth
  • Neil Young
  • Nektar
  • Pat Travers Band
  • Peter Frampton
  • Richard Thompson
  • Rick Wakeman
  • Rory Gallagher
  • Rush
  • UFO
  • Uriah Heep
  • Yes

• Blogroll

  • Nightwatcher’s House Of Rock

• Record Labels

  • Angel Air Records
  • BGO Records
  • Friday Music
  • Music Video Distributors

• Recent Posts

  • The Flatlanders – “More A Legend Than A Band”
  • 158 photos of Jeff Beck live at the Fillmore, New York, April 9-10
  • No-Man “Schoolyard Ghosts”
  • Allman Brothers Band – “End Of The Line” video
  • Joe Jackson – “Look Sharp!” album review
  • Ozzy Osbourne – “I Don’t Know” video with Randy Rhoads
  • Robin Trower – “Twice Removed From Yesterday”
  • Remembering the Allman Brothers Band
  • Julian Cope – “Fried”
  • Chicago II

• Pages

  • About

• Archives

  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
• 
  

• Recent Comments

  • Jon Dubin on Stu Nunnery – 35 Years On: The Interview
  • TW on Stu Nunnery – 35 Years On: The Interview
  • Pat Engle on Stu Nunnery – 35 Years On: The Interview
  • Pekka on Shawn Phillips – “At The BBC”
  • Pages tagged “wilco” on Wilco – “Side With The Seeds” video

• 

• Jon Dubin: I got to meet Stu and listen to a few of his songs and jingles live at my aunts house in the mid to late…
• TW: Hi Pat, I forwarded your question to Stu. Here’s his response: I wrote words and music to “Main…
• Pat Engle: Stu is credited with the music and words for “I’m Walkin’ Right Down the Middle of Main…
• Pekka: Actually, the ‘74 session is Quatermass. The original version of that band featured Robinson, Gustafson…
• TW: Thanks for the info!

• Links

  • Allman Brothers Band – Official Allman Brothers Band Web site
  • Angel Air Records – Classic Rock and Pop CD albums – reissues, collector’s items and new recordings
  • April Wine – Official April Wine Web site
  • BGO Records – Beat Goes On Records Homepage
  • Black Crowes – Official Web site of The Black Crowes
  • Bob Dylan – Official Bob Dylan Web site
  • Cheap Trick – Official Cheap Trick Web site
  • Deep Purple – Official Deep Purple Web site
  • Focus – Official Focus Web site
  • Friday Music – Where Classic Rock Lives
  • Gentle Giant – Official Gentle Giant Web site
  • Good Rats – Official Web site of The Good Rats
  • Jade Warrior – Official Jade Warrior Web site
  • Jan Akkerman – Official Jan Akkerman Web site
  • Jethro Tull – Official Jethro Tull Web site
  • Kansas – Official Kansas Web site
  • Kim Mitchell – Official Kim Mitchell Web site
  • King Crimson – Official King Crimson Web site
  • Klaatu – Official Klaatu Web site
  • Marillion – Official Marillion Web site
  • Music Video Distributors – Music Video Distributors Homepage
  • Nazareth – Official Nazareth Web site
  • Neil Young – Official Neil Young Web site
  • Nektar – Official Nektar Web site
  • Nightwatcher’s House Of Rock – Music Reviews, Interviews, News, Viewpoints And Much more… Showcasing the very best in rock, blues and beyond.
  • Pat Travers Band – Official Pat Travers Web site
  • Peter Frampton – Official Peter Frampton Web site
  • Richard Thompson – Official Richard Thompson Web site
  • Rick Wakeman – Official Rick Wakeman Web site
  • Rory Gallagher – Official Rory Gallagher Web site
  • Rush – Official Rush Web site
  • UFO – Official UFO Web site
  • Uriah Heep – Official Uriah Heep Web site
  • Yes – Official Yes Web site

• Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • WordPress
  • XHTML