Musing

Time Machine: The Stray Anthology 1970-1977 is heavy listening. The RAWK-ASS self-titled debut, Stray, fits squarely in the middle of heavy rock's first creative boom in 1970, while the next year's Suicide features some seriously heavy lead(LED?)guitar to back up the lyrics' Bloodrock-worthy morbidity. These two were both cut when the band were teenagers. Apparently they released ten albums before breaking up in 1977, so as you can imagine there were a few rushed efforts there. The later half of Stray's career slackens somewhat into boogie territory, but the group is capable of some serious fireworks and a few fine tunes when inspired. These guys could play and showed it best when they stretched out. I'm working my way though this thing still, I have a pile of stuff that I haven't even got to yet. Most of these records are out of print anyways, but chances are that 2 and a half hours of Stray will be more than enough for most heavy rock fans to get inside unabashedly bar-rockin' trip.

As when discovering any long lost band of the golden age of experimentation and excitement in rock, (roughly 1968-1973 and referred to as the Cosmic Portal by some) always consider the cardinal facets of rock excavation:

1. ALWAYS start with the first album. Work your way forward from there.

2. The longest songs are ALWAYS the best.

Anyways, like most good rock n' roll bands ever formed, Stray have a melodic voice, and ultimately the desire to let that voice speak grows stronger over time as the rewards to do so increase and as the players' proximity to their own teen years shrinks. As they age, rockers develop as musicians and become more skilled in the manipulation of the music's form, but in doing so they inevitably lose the spontaneity and enthusiasm that characterizes their most vital work. The technical know-how of equipment/songwriting/performance/ experience gradually subsumes the primal urge to create a racket in the first place. Greatness lies in balancing the conflicting impulses.

Some groups reach the optimal point in their career early on, while some need a few albums to get there. A few special ones can sustain creativity at a high level for a number of years, but this is uncommon. More groups only occasionally rise above mediocrity, but create a small amount of sonically beneficial music for a short time, maybe an album or two, maybe less. Hell, some of those garage bands which the NUGGETS series has done wonders for unearthing peaked with their first 45s! Come to think of it, it's not too different from how the hype-driven world of indie-blogs seems to react to some bands today, but I digress. The point is no matter how important or talented or just flat out incredible any musician or band is, the quality of that work will decline after the artist's peak period. For some, the drop is precipitous, while a few may decline very slowly and have a long and productive career, possibly experiencing a few reversals in this trend once in a while. The decline varies in intensity, but is as irreversible as time.