Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Link Cromwell and the Zoo - Crazy Like A Foxdotdotdot
artworkThis is an early Lenny Kaye incarnation as Link Cromwell. New Brunswick, New Jersey was home. This is a lone surviving document of one night in 1966. From surf sounds to garage with a Northwest clean frat approach, this band sliced their covers with a fresh view. The sound is murky, but given it's source from a Scotch reel captured on a Webcor portable ambiently, it's really quite remarkable. "Gross Man" is a underbelly narrative over the "Batman" theme - pretty strange. Nearly every live track is introduced with "we'd like to do a song now..." No surf here, but the two instros are cool none the less.
Picks: Zoo Theme, Green Onions

Track by Track Review


Zoo Theme dotdotdot
Garage (Instrumental)

"Zoo Theme" is derivative of "Green Onions," but more like a Northwest variant. This live session has reasonably listenable sound simply because it's not all distorted. Band intros bridge the midsection. The stereo is ambient.

Green Onions dotdotdotdot
Garage (Instrumental)

This is quite a low key garagie variant on Booker T. and the MG's' "Green Onions." It's nearly soft with an electric piano lead, and some reverb on the guitar. It's a jammin' thing that actually holds interest and leaves you satisfied. The guitar work is inspired period stuff, without the usual too-much-fuzz sound.