Various Artists- Brown Acid - The Seventeenth Trip (Various Artists)
Lucky number seventeen? Believe it. Those at Brown Acid have been scouring the highways and byways of America for even more hidden stashes of psych / garage / proto-punk madness from the so-called Aquarian Age. There's no flower power here, though-just acid casualties, rock stompers and major freakouts. As always, the songs have been officially licensed, and all the artists get paid. Some samples of this trip include: Stone Hedge were a seven-piece rock band out of Michigan with a penchant for Creedence and anthropomorphism. "Smokey Bear" is their 1972 tribute to the official mascot of the U.S. Forest Services-not to mention the A side of their sole single-and it recalls the kind of organ-drenched swamp jam that soundtracked many a Burt Reynolds flick back in the day. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may not be known as a cultural mecca, but they did produce Truth & Janey. This deadly hard rock trio delivered their holy grail full-length, No Rest For The Wicked, back in 1976. "Around and Aro