LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Label: Eclipse Records

Kahvas Jute’s Wide Open is one of the strongest Australian heavy psych albums of the early 1970s, driven by a twin-guitar approach that gives the music both bite and movement. The band balance hard rock energy with a loose, psychedelic sense of space, letting the songs stretch without losing their melodic shape. There is a directness to the playing that makes the album hit immediately, but the details in the guitar work and rhythm section keep it rewarding on repeated listens.

Originally released in 1971, the album features Tim Gaze and Dennis Wilson on guitars, with Bob Daisley’s bass work adding real weight beneath the arrangements. Rather than sounding like a copy of the British heavy rock scene, Kahvas Jute bring a sunnier but still forceful Australian character to the style, mixing bluesy hard rock, progressive touches and acid-tinged guitar passages into a distinctive whole. This Eclipse Records edition expands the album with six bonus tracks, offering a fuller view of the band’s powerful live and archival material.

1. Free – 5:13
2. Odyssey – 3:59
3. Up There – 2:50
4. She's So Hard To Shake – 4:17
5. Vikings – 4:32
6. Steps Of Time – 3:22
7. Twenty Three – 3:49
8. Ascend – 3:10
9. Parade Of Fools – 9:07
10. Bonus Track: Politician – 6:24
11. Bonus Track: She's So Hard To Shake – 4:20
12. Bonus Track: Ascend – 3:30
13. Bonus Track: Parade Of Fools – 10:49
14. Bonus Track: I Can't Stop – 4:32
15. Bonus Track: Free – 5:38