LORD SUTCH & HEAVY FRIENDS LP (Jeff Beck/Led Zeppelin)

	£		20
	$		27

LORD SUTCH AND HEAVY FRIENDS Original UK Plum Atlantic LP (Jeff Beck/Led Zeppelin/Nicky Hopkins/Noel Redding

1970 LP issued on the Atlantic label (Plum and Purple record middle 2400 008).
Vinyl apart from one small hairline on side one and one very small scuff/very very light (not deep) mark on side 2 the vinyl is in wonderful condition and looks like it has hardly been played. It retains that nice new full gloss look. The sleeve is also excellent with some laminate creasing on the front whilst the back looks excellent. All in all a great copy that would be hard to better.

Recorded in September 1969 at Mystic Studios in Hollywood and released on Atlantic Records on May 25, 1970. The album featured an all-star line-up with contributions from Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page (who also produced the album) and John Bonham, guitarist Jeff Beck, session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, session guitarist Deniel Edwards and Jimi Hendrix Experience bass-player Noel Redding. Rick Brown and Carlo Little were previously with The Savages

Side one

1. Wailing Sounds (Page/Sutch)– 2:38
2. Cause I Love You (Bonham/Edwards/Page/Sutch) – 2:46
3. Flashing Lights (Page/Sutch) – 3:14
4. Gutty Guitar (Sutch) – 2:33
5. Would You Believe (Cee) - 3:20
6. Smoke and Fire (Sutch) - 2:38

Side two

1. Thumping Beat (Page/Sutch) – 3:07
2. Union Jack Car (Page/Sutch) – 3:03
3. One for You, Baby (Sutch) – 2:44
4. L-O-N-D-O-N (Sutch) – 2:56
5. Brightest Light (Cee/Sutch) - 3:57
6. Baby, Come Back (Page/Sutch) - 2:31

RECORD LABEL: Atlantic (plum label variety)

CATALOGUE NUMBER: 2400 008

MATRIX NUMBERS:

SIDE ONE: 2400008 588 222 A?1  1 1 3

SIDE TWO: 240000 588 222 *B?1  1 1 2

Side one begins with “Wailing Sounds” and it may as well have been an unused Zeppelin track with Sutch instead of Plant on vocals. Page recycles riffs found on the first two Zeppelin albums and uses many of the guitar effects that he was known for early on. The opening riff sounds as if it’s stolen from “Helter Skelter,” but it’s all Page and Bonham after that. “’Cause I Love You” follows and is again featuring solos made famous by Page in Led Zeppelin, but has different studio musicians behind him. The song is a little sloppy, but the so were the first two Zeppelin records. Sutch has no ability to emote, but rather adds a bit of grit to a delivery that’s one step up from monotone.  We’ve heard a zillion tracks like this on Nuggets and Pebbles collections by garage bands throughout the world, and we love the stuff.  This is at least that good; one step below what Page had done elsewhere, but still quite good.  Side two’s “Union Jack Car” tells the true tale of Lord Sutch touring around in his Rolls Royce decked out in Britain’s emblem.  It’s a 4-bar blues, not unlike “Sweet Little Sixteen,” but hints at punk music as do several other songs on the album.  We learned to appreciate the vocal shortcomings of many punk singers over the years and I think we can easily do the same for Lord Sutch.  “Brightest Light” is one of the few songs not co-written by Page, but it brings new elements in background vocals and an organ.  Page, the producer is showing the innovation that he has been known for on this song.  If we had heard this track 20 years later as recorded by Pavement, we wouldn’t have flinched.  The record closes out with “Baby, Come Back,” which is sort of a maxed-out “You Really Got Me” kind of song.  Remember, Page played guitar on a lot of old Kinks’ singles, and he’s dredging it all up once more on this tune.  The proto-punk feel of the song and basic, guttural vocal delivery had been extremely influential on garage-psych punks and also, much later, heavy metal bands.  The listener gets to thinking that Page may actually have contributed to a style of music (punk) that eschews everything he’s known for (Zeppelin). Wild!

Check this record out; it’s an absolute hoot. Whether you’re curious about the character Sutch, interested in the various projects Jimmy Page has been involved in over the years, or as a document of what sorts of attempts were being made at popular British rock music back in 1970, you won’t be disappointed.