Heavy Equipment (Uk) [LP], Euclid, Vinyl

This super rare hard rock album from Euclid is one of the true surprises on the Flying Dutchman label, coming out on it's Amsterdam subsidiary in 1970. Despite a press release that stated "Everyone who has seen Gary Leavitt and Euclid has been knocked out," the album stayed firmly in the record racks upon release and now sells for upward of £300. The four-piece group hailed from Haverill, Massachusetts although only bassist Harold Perino came from there. Lead guitarist, Ralph Mazzota and brothers Gary and Jay Leavitt came from Maine. The driving force behind the band was Gary Leavitt, who penned most of their material, played guitar and was described as "leader" on the sleeve. All four had a pedigree in garage and psychedelic bands and those roots as well as a deep love of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page shine through in this early take on hard rock. The album - produced by Bobby Herne and mixed by Les Paul Jr - is blisteringly loud. Hence the title! Witness the three-part opening track 'Curtains Of Night' as well as Leavitt-penned material like 'Bye Bye Baby', '97 Days' and 'She's Gone'. Crucially, the entire album is lifted by the tight interplay between the players, most notably the rhythm section on tracks like 'Lazy Livin'. There are also well-chosen cover versions of 'It's All Over Now', made famous by the Rolling Stones, and a wonderful take of the Spencer Davis Group's 'Gimme Some Lovin'. As it has never been officially reissued on vinyl, since 1970, "Heavy Equipment" has been much bootlegged over the years. So, remastered from the original tapes this album is a must-have for rock fans everywhere.