Though it did not lead the band to stardom, where they were bound to go, Transatlantic Railroad did offer an unforgettable West Coast ride on a “meta-journeys to unimagined places”.
The good thing is that now the ride will go on forever, thanks to this Swiss record label’s release that gathers the band’s almost complete recorded output (except for their only single’s a-side and one of the early demos).
Coming from the sixties’ “fruity” Frisco bay area, they were often referred to as “the next great San Francisco music scene band” which is what they had remained too, supposedly because of “one band member’s inflexibility”. The seven songs on this album are more than enough a proof of their potential, so an explanation like this is the only reasonable one.
Transatlantic Railroad were some kind of an amalgamation of all the good, heard in the music of the local scene … and wider. The set opens with the musical omnibus Camp Towanga, sounding like Moby Grape fronted by Greg Allman, along with his Hammond organ, with Peter Green steppin’ in for a guitar solo during the ’50s ballad-like middle eight, and it’s followed with another Southern-jam, Fred Chicken Blues reminding of the Statesboro one.
Tahama Street Song, recalls Quicksilver’s best moments, Elephant is a quirky, Door-opening psych, with a 10 minute-looooong jam, Old English 800 is a very un-English “spoonful” of blues, their single’s b-side Irahs explores the C&W segment of the American tradition (think Moby Grape’s It’s No Use) and, along these ’67/’68 recordings, as a bonus, you get one of the 1966 efforts from their early ‘Brummels-like phase, called Good Times, that could’ve easily pass as an unreleased studio track by the mentioned fellow S.F. folk rockers.
There’s not enough material to judge what would’ve the Transatlantic Railroad album exactly sound like, but there was definitely something goin’ on ……. and it still is, and it won’t end up in oblivion that’s for sure!
[Released by RD 2002]
Be the first to comment