SHROOMANGEL RECORDS
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Distr.  : US - Forced Exposure
Style   : hard rock / prog. rock /



OZ      1000    OZ KNOZZ                RUFF MIX                        LP      09.2020

"First legitimate reissue of one of the best US private press hard rock/progressive
rock albums of the 1970s. From the master tapes. Formed in 1969 in Houston, TX, Oz
Knozz's original crew included multi-instrumentalists Jack Alford, Bill Massey and
Duane Massey. Alford left the group in 1971 and was replaced by drummer Marty Naul,
while the next year the trio was joined by guitarist Richard Heath. The band had
also a three-man horn section, which was dropped quite fast, although horns remained
a part of the band's sound, even on their rare and epochal 1975 private press debut
Ruff Mix, released on the band's own Ozone label. Ruff Mix mainly grooves in hard
rock territory -- the second track "Peanut Butter Yoni" sounds a bit like Judas
Priest with a proto-metal feeling; but the album also has elements of progressive
rock, horn rock, and pomp rock. Like most bands of the era, the idea was to throw
out a few different styles to see if something would stick... the theory being that
a major label would hear the private album by chance and sign said band so they could
open for Led Zeppelin or Foghat's next US tour... or something like that. What
separates Oz Knozz from others is a strong compositional component, the band have
plenty of original ideas and muster superb instrumentation. The guitar work ranges
from hard and powerful to melodic and bluesy and is supported by some great keyboard,
including awe-inspiring organ and synth waves. The three-part 15-minute 'Doodley
Squat' suite features heavy dual keyboard parts, crunchy guitars and expressive
vocals; the result is a terrific hard prog track with lot of energy. For many, the
standout track is the groovy and infectious horn rocker, which sounds as dated as
the movement itself and easily could have been from 1969. High energy and impressive
songwriting. Love it."
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/OZ.1000LP.html
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SR      005     JOSEFUS : Not Dead Yet: Unreleased 1978 Studio          LP      10.2020
                Sessions & Live 

Includes insert. Second pressing of this collection of scorching rarities from these
venerable and legendary psychedelic hard rockers. "From the fine folks over at
ShroomAngel Records comes this LP release of unreleased studio & live recordings
from Texas hard rock act Josefus. What you get on Side A are four studio recordings
from 1978, as well as a studio track from 2004, and over on the B side five live
tracks from a reunited Josefus in 2012. If you like rugged, raw, bluesy '70s styled
hard rock, you've come to the right place. On the 1978 studio recordings, the band
were comprised of Pete Bailey (vocals), Dave Mitchell (guitar), Ray Turner (bass),
and Jerry Ontiverez (drums).
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SR.005LP.html
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