Cactus Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
For hardcore fans of Cactus, and/or Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, the boogie onslaught of this first live concert in over 30 years by the updated version of this venerable group should do the trick. It's a solid effort by a band that never offered any surprises, and the inclusion of harp player Randy Pratt and non-descript vocalist Jimmy Kunes keeps things in line with past efforts. Sure, guitarist Jim McCarty goes into overdrive on Mose Allison's "Parchment Farm," but the current lineup of Blue Cheer in 2007 just happen to give the style at play here a little more punch. The encore of "Rock N Roll Children" from this outfit's 1971 release, One Way...Or Another, rambles along with vocalist Kunes looking and sounding like any member of the audience jumping on-stage to have some fun with a trio of rock & roll legends. Without any frills there's little to differentiate the music here from any other collection of yesterday's stars getting together to reminisce. In fact it could be Starz, or a reunion of Flint, former members of Grand Funk Railroad, playing this hard-driving blues/rock in any typical nightclub in suburban America. The camera work is very public access TV, the lighting inconsistent, and the direction rather pedestrian. Plus there's no "Take Me for a Little While" or "You Keep Me Hanging On" for fans to key into, perhaps the biggest let down. Even a slowed-down cover of "Journey to the Center of the Mind" à la Vanilla Fudge, a nod to original singer, the late Rusty Day (though he didn't perform on the hit version), would brighten up the proceedings. Leslie Gold, "the radio chick," does the introduction and the audience is revved up, but what is missing is a spark. Finding a Leslie West to join the group or Cactus battling it out on-stage with members of Blue Cheer would at least put a jolt into this new chapter. The jolt isn't there, but this is an adequate package with some backstage footage and a decent photo gallery that will please those who care. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There were probably fewer people clamoring for this Cactus reunion in 2006 than for a Vanilla Fudge or Beck, Bogart and Appice one, but that didn't stop the famed plodding rhythm section from giving it another go. Original Cactus lead singer Rusty Day passed in 1982, but the core trio of bassist Tim Bogart, drummer Carmine Appice and guitarist Jim McCarty recruited singer Jimmy Kunes and let fly with this hour long set of forceful, sweaty blues rock. Never known for its subtlety, the simplistically titled V doesn't challenge the group's historically predictable game plan as it plows through familiar terrain with requisite enthusiasm but a lack of the imagination and creativity that made even minor guilty pleasures such as 1971's Restrictions catalog highlights. It's unfair to criticize Cactus for not working outside of boogie rock boundaries they established on their releases over three decades earlier, but the derivative vocals of Kunes makes the quartet now seem like a second rate AC/DC. Songs such as "Muscle and Soul" have neither despite the band's best intentions. McCarty's Jimmy Page styled guitar works all the clichés, but the riffs don't resonate and the songs never rise above their Humble Pie roots. "Cactus Music"'s chorus of "raise your hands up to the music, Rock! Rock!, getting' down with Cactus music, never wanna stop" is symbolic of the group's modest goals on this overlong comeback. The band's remaining but dwindling grizzled followers might find some of this reminiscent of previous glories, but for younger fans of the genre, more contemporary acts such as Gov't Mule offer far better alternatives. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With a mixture of members from Vanilla Fudge, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and the Amboy Dukes, it's hard to believe that Cactus didn't really succeed in their time. Often derided for being second-rate boogie rock, the band simply did what it did, and part of the allure of the style is its sloppy, second-rate nature. This 1971 release may not see the band at their peak, but it surely showcases the occasionally thundering rhythm section of Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice. Why a song like "Token Chokin'" was never a hit and why it has yet to be embraced by the classic rock-loving public is a complete mystery. The song is some of the most heels-up, thundering, so-brainless-it's-genius rock that has ever been to tape. It's complete with big guitars, big sing-alongs, and a bass-and-drum combo that could knock out windows. Somebody needs to revive this track. Songs like "Evil" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" are all scorching guitars and long-haired riffing. It's a testament to the blues-inspired power they could surely muster up onstage. Other tracks seem to fall apart like the opener, "Restrictions," and "Guiltless Glider," which starts off thick and heavy á la Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla," but goes on for about six minutes too long. To buffer some of the more blustery elements of the record, there are competent acoustic blues numbers like "Mean Night in Cleveland" and "Alaska," the latter an ode to said state featuring lyrics about penguins, Santa Claus, and the aurora borealis. Nobody has ever said that boogie rock is grad school material, and Cactus are certainly no exception -- they did manage to make a big, bearded racket that is both groan-inducing and a lot of fun. ~ Jon Pruett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One Way... Or Another (1971) was the second and final studio outing to feature the incipient incarnation of supergroup Cactus, comprised of Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), as well as former Amboy Dukes lead vocalist Rusty Day (vocals/mouth harp), and Jim McCarty (guitar) from Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and the Buddy Miles Express. Even as their debut was ostensibly rawer, they retained the same amp'ed-up electric blues reminiscent of early Grand Funk Railroad and Foghat. The more polished outcome heard on their sophomore effort is undoubtedly the direct result of assistance from recording engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer and their upgraded digs at the recently completed Electric Lady Studios, which they inhabited shortly after the passing of the facilities' owner, Jimi Hendrix. Immediately, the proceedings are thrust into high gear with a languorous and seething interpretation of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." While not the extended barnburner it became in concert, it gets things off to a rousing start. The lightweight up-tempo "Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like" could easily be mistaken for Jo Jo Gunne, especially in Day's vocal asides, strongly recalling Jay Ferguson and company. "Rock 'N' Roll Children" is a heavier number with McCarty unleashing rounds of impressive and impellent fretwork churning atop the simmering backbeat. Cactus do what they do best, returning to their boogie rock roots on the suitably named "Big Mama Boogie -- Parts 1 & 2." McCarty's pumping acoustic opening is perfectly augmented by some organic mouth harp courtesy of Day before launching into an explosive assault of pure, unadulterated proto- metal. The cover of Chuck Willis' "Feel So Bad" is given a sizable shakedown, yet doesn't quite seem to live up to its potential. The opposite can be said of the understated "Song for Aries." Although clocking in at just under three minutes, the instrumental is a showcase for McCarty's immorally underrated lead guitar. The long-player concludes with two full-blown centerpieces, revealing Cactus' strength as a formidable powerhouse combo on the autobiographically-inspired rave-up "Hometown Bust." Fittingly, this lineup and album come to an end on a high note with the title track "One Way...Or Another." The number is quite possibly the finest original to have been worked up by the band. The cut blazes from tip-to-tail and if the primary riff seems familiar, that may be because it was lifted almost verbatim from Jeff Beck's Beck-Ola-era tune "Rice Pudding." However in Cactus' care, it stomps with a bit more crunch and no-nonsense attitude. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cactus may have never amounted to anything more than a half-hearted, last-minute improvised supergroup, but that don't mean their eponymous 1970 debut didn't rock like a mofo. The already quasi-legendary Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of Bogert and Appice may have provided the backbone of the band's business cards, and soulful, ex-Amboy Duke Rusty Day brought the voice, but it was arguably former Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty who was the true star in the Cactus galaxy, spraying notes and shredding solos all over album highlights such as "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover," "Let Me Swim," and, most notably, a manic, turbocharged version of "Parchman Farm." The fact that Cactus chose to tackle this classic blues song just a year after it'd been blasted into the fuzz-distortion stratosphere by Blue Cheer betrays -- at best -- a healthy competitive spirit within the early-'70s hard rock milieu, and at worst it suggests something of a mercenary nature to Cactus' motives, but that's an issue for the surviving bandmembers to duke it out over in the retirement home. And we digress -- for the blistering closing duo of "Oleo" and "Feel So Good" (complete with bass and drum solo slots) easily certifies the Cactus LP as one of the best hard rock albums of the then brand-new decade, bar none. Too bad the illustrious members of Cactus would quickly lose interest in this band project and deliver increasingly mediocre efforts in the years that followed. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
