(N) The Music Encyclopedia of The Gravis Sub Humus

Navasota: Rootin' 1972

Obscure Hard/Heavy Rock group from Texas that released one album consisting of decent Southern Rock material. The group was greatly aided by various members of the studio based group Steely Dan. These musicians included Walter Fagen, Michael Becker & Jeff Baxter. The latter of whom would go on to play with one of the Doobie Brother incarnations. Becker & Fagen helped to pen most of the material for the group. They and Baxter along with a few other studio notables joined the group to record their album for ABC Dunhill in LA, California. The music as a whole has a good time Southern feel amidst various wasted, wild n reckless, bluesy motivated simple themes. The music in and of itself, in accord with a basic guitar oriented, hard driving Southern Rock tradition, is none too shabby. The appropriately fun, high spirited vocals leave no barrel chested, gut bustin' stone unturned either. There is a marked quirky defect in the recording however. The tune penned and given to the group exclusively via Becker & Fagen, "Canyon Ladies", seems at first listen to be the written and produced "stand out" song on the album. But, if you listen quite closely towards the middle of the song, you can hear a major low end disturbance as if one of those Canyon Ladies had a little too much to drink and passed out in the studio landing on a drum mic! After having listened to several different copies of the album, both promotional copies and commercial, the disturbance is "there" no matter. This needs a reissue boys, so get with it!


National Flag: Thank You Very Much & Good Night

In short, this is THEE BEST private pressing I have ever listened to, bar none. Whereas many collectible private pressings wallop you upside the noggin after several listens, some after several years, this record started growing on me instantly. It really is amazing for such a completely unknown recording. The first and obvious question becomes: Who the heck were these guys and more importantly, where are they now? The music itself is authentically UK. As soon as one delves into the playing and begins to contemplate the writing & style influences within the record, it's obvious which side of the big water the musician's influences are drawn from. The guitar bares out that English "old school" well crafted culture, albeit somewhat a wasted culture with just the right amount of a "ragged edge" to command & firmly plant it's boot in your "you know what" The bass is just perfect for this group sounding like a cross between Michael Anthony & Boz Burrell. Both he and the drummer lock down like nobodies business and proceed to floor you with their thunderous tight unison. The vocals are both precise as well as a powerfully complimentary asset to the band. It's hard to imagine any real greater attribute than the perfectly combined band, but there is. That is the very quality that makes this record for me the king of all Hard n' Heavy private pressings that I have listened to so far. This magical composite quality is the result they achieve of driving "home" the feeling they are obviously convicted to deliver. In this sense it's a total "Mission Accomplished". There is no question that this is fine Hard Rock, but I am not lying when I tell everyone that this record is also... H-E-A-V-Y

It will have the juices flowing & the goose bumps on the rise in a matter of a solitary audio listening experience. In short: It KICKS ASS!