For this week’s edition we’re still in the early days of metal history. The last two weeks have covered contenders for the title of first ever metal album; a more obscure pick from Randy Holden and the recognised title holder, Black Sabbath.
This album, from Sir Lord Baltimore, came around a year after those two albums, and is back into more obscure territory. It’s notable in metal history as it accounts for the first written reference to ‘heavy metal’ as a music genre. As described by writer, Mike Saunders, for Creem magazine in a 1971 review.
Despite the name, the band were actually from Brooklyn. They briefly shone bright, before fading into obscurity. At the time of their debut, the trio were only around 18 years old. They were discovered by Mike Appel, the talent scout who would soon go onto help launch Bruce Springsteen’s career. Impressed by their intense playing style, Appel took them under his wing and christened them, Sir Lord Baltimore; a reference to Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. Some of their earliest gigs were opening for Sabbath, and playing legendary venues, such as Carnegie Hall.
Their debut was fairly well received, but not particularly successful commercially. A second album quickly followed in 1971, but further disappointing sales saw the band dropped by their label. That was pretty much it for them, until a couple of the members re-united in the mid-2000’s to release a third album. By that point they were on a Christian rock vibe and, embarrassingly, still using a photo from their early 70’s heyday as the album cover. So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you probably don’t need to be digging into their full back catalogue.
But it’s their debut that we’re here to talk about and that is pretty good.
Sir Lord Baltimore – Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come is another early ‘metal’ album that isn’t quite recognisable as what we’d come to expect of the genre. Instead, it combines the hard blues of Led Zep, with the proto-punk of MC5. The songs often feel like they’ve only had half an idea and jumped straight in without working out what the structure is supposed to be. It could verge on aimless jam territory, but the chaotic spontaneity works; as they just smash, shout, scream and shred their way through.
The opening trio of songs exemplifies this approach as singer/drummer, John Garner, wails about various temptresses, from Master Heartache to Lady Of Fire. His voice belies his young age here; a great bluesy howl along the lines of Robert Plant, with a raw unpredictably (echoing the chaos of the music) giving the feeling this could all fall apart at any moment.
They take a misstep as they briefly delve into folk territory on the terrible, Lake Isle Of Innersfree. Whimsical, medieval-sounding shite, which you cannot hear as anything but hugely dated now. And even if they were only 18 themselves, I can’t give a pass to a lyric like ‘she was only seventeen, you might say in her prime’. C’mon man…you old-school rockers are never beating the allegations.
Things get back on course quickly enough though as they revert to type. The only other real change of pace on the album comes on the title track, as they slow proceedings to a crawl and explore an early template for stoner rock. Lyrically, it veers a bit too far into cheesy, fantasy bollocks. But, musically, it goes pretty hard so it’s tolerable enough. And the album closes out with another strong trio of bluesy proto-punk.
The album works best when it doesn’t feel too overthought. There’s little particular depth here; but the howls and screams – of hell hounds, being pumped up, and various woman troubles – work perfectly with their primitive metal sound to capture rock as a raw, instinctive form of expression.
Not quite heavy metal proper; more of a metal pre-cursor. But this is a good album, minus one big miss and one near miss. A forgotten gem for classic, hard rock fans.
Rating:
Best Tunes: Master Heartache, Helium Head (I Got A Love)
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