Brew - A Very Strange Brew (Reissue) (1969/2007)

RARE original 1969 LP by the Brew, “A Very Strange Brew” on the ABC label. Only recentlyreissued, and said to be related to the Impala Syndrome (one website says it’s pre-Impala Syndrome, another post-Impala Syndrome). What’s REALLY strange about this obscure album is that it takes its name from a song by Cream, since over the course of its 30-odd minutes, they manage to sound like everyone BUT Cream. Side 1 opens with some bubbling cauldron sound effects, as a barely audible voice welcomes you in with “Listen to the VERY…strange…brew…”, sorta like the Tea Company’s brand of self-advertising on their Smash album. Shortly after, the Brew burst in with an explosive in-your-face opening guitar chord just like the one that kicks off Badfinger’s “No Matter What” – and like that song, this is a fine, very catchy loud guitar rocker. The verses on “Three’s a Crowd” sound almost identical to the ones on the Leaves’ version of “Hey Joe”, even if the chorus switches abruptly to the catchy AM soul pop sounds of a band like the Vogues. The laid-back loungey jazz pop froth of “If I Were Someone” brings back fond memories of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, while“Union Man”’s bouncy pop, rolling organ and skip-a-long tune sounds pretty similar in style and melody to the Kinks “Sunny Afternoon”. And twice the Brew summon up the heavy acid rock spirit of the mighty Steppenwolf – once on “I Can Hardly” and again on“What Do You See”, which resembles “Magic Carpet Ride” with similar swaths of psychedelic guitar feedback, at least until the very strange jazz piano solo cuts in midway through. Okay, so I don’t want to accuse the band of being completely derivative – perhaps just acutely aware of the success of their competitors – but the fact that that they sound like some of the best at least makes this one of the more consistently enjoyable and solid psychedelic albums of its kind. Like a K-Tel “Sounds of Acid Rock”compilation with all original songs. But no Cream. Wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Ron Popeil himself wasn’t somehow behind THIS Brew.