Depending on one's point of view,
Orgasm
(later reissued as
Cave Rock
) is either a ridiculously self-indulgent artifact of the '60s counterculture or an underground gem that was way ahead of its time -- and it's probably a little bit of both. The basic idea behind
Cromagnon
, an obscure East Coast group led by vocalists
Austin Grasmere
and
Brian Elliot
, was psychedelic rock combined with the sticks and stones of prehistoric cavemen, as well as with traces of folk-rock; it's a bizarre concept, certainly, but at times, it works. Most of the tunes on this 1969 session don't adhere to a traditional verse/chorus/verse/chorus song structure but rather, take a free-form approach -- and
provide a lot of goofy, oddball grunting, screaming, and squealing that is obviously meant to enhance the album's "caveman appeal."
is a very weird, tripped-out album, that's for sure;
Grasmere
Elliot
go out of their way to be as strange as possible. But if
can be too self-indulgent for their own good at times, the impressive thing is the way parts of
foreshadow a lot of the noise rock, industrial rock, and no-wave that was recorded in the '80s and '90s. Take the opener'
"Caledonia,"
for example; with its distorted vocals and staccato groove, the tune almost sounds like it could be a
Ministry
or
Revolting Cocks
recording from 1989 rather than a psychedelic recording from 1969. And the industrial-like noise and distortion of
"Toth, Scribe I"
"First World of Bronze"
brings to mind
Throbbing Gristle
even though
didn't exist until 1975. So in its own obscure way,
is an experimental effort that, arguably, did its small part to benefit
,
Skinny Puppy
Teenage Jesus & the Jerks
the Revolting Cocks
Einstuerzende Neubauten
Controlled Bleeding
, and others who came along later. In 2009,
ESP-Disk
reissued
as a 48-minute CD; no liner notes were added, which is unfortunate because this rarity does have some historic value. Regardless, rock historians will find
to be an intriguing, worthwhile listen -- excesses and all. ~ Alex Henderson