Child - Child (1977)

I have very little information about this obscure Seattle outfit, which consisted of Lance Baumgartel, Mick Flynn, Tim Turner and John O'Connor. The band formed in 1969 and spent quite a few years playing the club circuit before finally issuing their self-titled LP on Seattle label, Ariel Records. The band enjoyed local success and issued a few singles before dissolving in 1981. Members went on to production and session work, as well as some sporadic musical activities with bands like Cooltones, The Tim Turner Band and The Mick Flynn Band.

This is an obscurity that has often been sought by collectors over the years. Despite the esoteric cover art, this LP is a collection of strictly meat and potatoes rock. No swirling synths, no flashy organs, no acid drenched guitar tones, no wailing vocals. This is straight down the middle rock, folks. For me, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but this batch of songs really just doesn't stand up on its own. Most of the writing seems half-baked and the vocals come across as a little lazy. There's pretty great guitar work but the weak arrangements fail to capitalize on the band's obvious musical prowess. There are a few uninspired ballads, a few blues workouts and a handful of rock/hard rock cuts. The harder material is easily the best here, particularly "I Just Want to Be With You" which beckons Artful Dodger or late period Raspberries.

I suggest you download this artifact and see for yourself. While certainly not bad, Child isn't exactly setting the world on fire either. Check this rip from virgin vinyl and give Child a spin.

320kbps @ http://lix.in/-3e200c