Four studio albums from the legendary Cactus recorded from 1970 to 1972. Plus a host of bonus tracks. A real treat for fans of blues rock, proto-stoner rock and proto-metal.
Featuring their bluesy, gritty rock which became a big influence on future generations of hard rock and heavy metal bands, including Montrose, AC/DC and Van Halen.
With four CDs of live recordings from the period recorded at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival, the 1972 Mar y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico and at the more intimate settings of Gilligan's Club in Buffalo, New York. The latter recorded by legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin) with The Electric Ladyland Mobile Unit.
Formed in 1969 by former members of Vanilla Fudge, Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums, Cactus released their self-titled debut on the Atco label in 1970. Although originally slated to feature Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck, the line-up would be cemented by Jim McCarty (from Mitch Ryder’s Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express) on guitar and Rusty Day (from Ted Nugent’s original band, The Amboy Dukes) on vocals and harmonica. This line-up would record the band’s first three LPs, ‘Cactus’, ‘One Way… Or Another’ and ‘Restrictions’.
Included among the originals ‘My Lady From South Of Detroit’, ‘No Need To Worry’ and ‘Feel So Good’ on their first album are covers of Mose Allison's blues standard ‘Parchman Farm’ (a major inspiration for the song ‘Hot For Teacher’, and the intro to ‘Let Me Swim’ prefiguring Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’), plus Willie Dixon's ‘You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover’ .
‘One Way... Or Another’ (1971) was recorded at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York, and as well as ‘Rock 'N' Roll Children’ and live favourite, ‘Big Mama Boogie, Pt 1 & 2’, the album also includes two classic covers; Little Richard's ‘Long Tall Sally’ and Chuck Willis' ‘I Feel So Bad’.
As well as ‘Token Chokin'’ and ‘Mean Night In Cleveland’, ‘Restrictions’ - the third and last LP to feature McCarty and Day features their cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Evil (Is Going On)’, the inspiration for Monster Magnet’s cover of the same song some 20 years later. Cactus were joined for 1972’s ‘Ot ‘N’ Sweaty by Atomic Rooster and Leaf Hound’s Pete French on vocals, Werner Fritzschings on guitar and Duane Hitchings on keyboards, the first side of the original LP recorded live in April 1972, the second side featuring studio recordings which end with a somewhat incongruous cover of ‘Underneath The Arches’, apparently inspired by touring with Rod Stewart and The Faces.
Track Listing:
DISC ONE
Cactus (1970) ATCO SD 33-340
Parchman Farm
My Lady from South of Detroit
Bro. Bill
You Can't Judge a Book by The Cover
Let Me Swim
No Need to Worry
Oleo
Feel So Good Bonus Tracks
You Can't Judge a Book by The Cover
Rumblin' Man
The Sun Is Shining
Sweet Little 16
DISC TWO
One Way... Or Another (1971) ATCO SD 33-356
Long Tall Sally
Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like
Rock N' Roll Children
Big Mama Boogie - Parts I & II
Feel So Bad
Song For Aries
Hometown Bust
One Way... Or Another Bonus Tracks
Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally
Hound Dog Sniffin'
DISC THREE
Restrictions (1971) ATCO SD 33-377
Restrictions
Token Chokin'
Guiltless Glider
Evil
Alaska
Sweet Sixteen
Bag Drag
Mean Night in Cleveland
DISC FOUR
'Ot 'N' Sweaty (1972) ATCO SD 7011
Swim
Bad Mother Boogie
Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing
Bad Stuff
Bringing Me Down
Bedroom Mazurka
Telling You
Underneath The Arches Bonus Tracks
Bringing Me Down – Single Edit
Bringing Me Down – Mono Edit
DISC FIVE
Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs (Disc 1)
Intro / Long Tall Sally
Bag Drag
Evil
Parchman Farm
Alaska
Oleo
No Need to Worry
Let Me Swim
DISC SIX
Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs (Disc 2)
Big Mama Boogie - Parts 1 & 2
Medley: Heeby Jeebies/ Money/ Hound Dog/ What'd I Say
No Need to Worry
Parchman Farm
One Way... Or Another
Bro. Bill
Swim
Bad Mother Boogie
Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing
Bedroom Mazurka
DISC SEVEN
Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs Vol 2 (Disc 1)
Intro / Tuning
Long Tall Sally
Parchman Farm
Mellow Down Easy
Feel So Bad
Walkin' Blues
Scrambler / One Way...Or Another
Oleo
DISC EIGHT
Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs Vol 2 (Disc 2)
