GROOTNA MARTY BALIN ANNA RIZZO COLUMBIA 1ST PRESSING VG+/VG+ JACK BONUS
$
25
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Description
VINYL: VG+
JACKET: VG+ (WRITING ON BACK OF JACKET)
It isn't hard to hear what got Grootna, a sextet from Berkeley, CA, a management deal with entrepreneur Bill Graham and a contract with Columbia Records negotiated by company president Clive Davis. Columbia took a major hit in the fall of 1970 when Janis Joplin died, even though her posthumously released LP, Pearl, became a major success. Joplin, of course, had emerged from the Bay Area band Big Brother & the Holding Company, and Grootna has obvious similarities to it. The group has a loose, eclectic style typical of San Francisco-associated psychedelic acts, with tastes of rock, blues, and country melded in a sense of improvisation heard in lengthy solos from lead guitarist Vic Smith and pianist Richard Sussman. And, in Anna Rizzo, who sings lead on every track except "Road Fever," Grootna has its own Joplin clone. She even tackles a Bessie Smith number, "Young Woman Blues," and a song written by Bob Neuwirth, who provided Joplin with "Mercedes Benz" on Pearl. Rizzo has a strong, effective voice. The songs largely serve as vehicles for the instrumental work, and they usually sound like they could have been much longer. Grootna is also, in an odd way, overshadowed by someone who isn't actually heard on the album itself. The producer is Marty Balin (his actual credit reads, "seduced by"), and this marks his first work on a record since his official departure from Jefferson , the band he founded.
Please Note: We SET the NEW STANDARD for shipping Vinyl. ALL Vinyl is DOUBLE BOXED for added safety. With single boxed vinyl if the box is dropped on its corner the jacket may still get dinged. This CANNOT happen with DOUBLE BOXED vinyl. So, we DOUBLE BOX every Vinyl set in order to INSURE the value of YOUR investment!
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