Toad Albums (6)
'Open Fire: Live in Basel 1972'
Release Date 9/20/2005
Tracks 6
Label Akarma
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For those new to Toad, Switzerland's most celebrated hard rock band, and thoroughly confused by the eclectic music encased within Akama's Behind the Wheels, all things are made clear with the solid slab of stage sound emanating from Open Fire Live in Basel 1972. The sleeve notes are equally up-front about the source of this release: a tape bootlegged at the gig. But judging by the quality of the sound -- a tad muddy in places but surprisingly good overall -- this was presumably taken straight off the mixing board. The CD seems to pick up some way into Toad's set, as they launch into the epic, almost 15-minute "Tomorrow Blue," and R&B was where the trio's hearts were, even as the rhythm section boogied straight into hard rock and guitarist Vittorio Vergeat flickered into metal. "Blues," too, heaves its way from undiluted 12-bar blues into the power raging R&B-inflected rock that defined the likes of Cream, early Led Zeppelin, and other Brit rockers raised on the blues but determined to drag the genre into the modern age. Sometimes they squall into a bit of an ominous noisefest à la Black Sabbath, as "Thoughts" illustrates, or into virtuoso braggadocio, as on "Pig's Walk," where Vergeat attempts to out-flash Jimi Hendrix, a delusion shared by every guitarist of the day. Toad could never beat Hendrix at his own game, but they definitely show they're experienced across the two Hendrix covers that close out the set. "Red House"'s R&B roots are showcased to a shine, while "Who Knows" gets equally sumptuous treatment, and although neither is that far removed from the original, both give the bandmembers plenty of opportunity to strut their stuff. Being Swiss, Toad would never garner the success of their British counterparts, but in many ways the trio more effectively melded the blues to rock than any of that island's more favored sons. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Toad's final album, Dreams was full of potential but, sadly, languished in the wake of bigger '70s acts like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. It's a shame, too, because much of what was there was the best work of the band's career. Normally Toad brought in guest singers to helm the vocal duties, but Dreams found powerhouse guitarist Vittorio Vergeat (aka "Vic") on the mike for all of the album's tracks -- and the kid was pretty darn good. Why Vergeat was so keen on handing off the microphone to others is a mystery, since his thin and reedy voice was tailor-made to sit perfectly in Toad's alternately heavy and pastoral arrangements. Just give opening track "Keep on Movin'" a spin and you'll wonder why they felt the need to pull Bens Jaeger on board for their debut album's lead vocals. The rest of the band was in tip-top shape as well, delivering both the hard-rockin' tracks and the acoustic ballads with equal facility. Maybe not the finest power trio in rock history, but certainly worthy of more than a footnote in its obscuro chapter. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Toad's self-titled debut album may have, single-handedly, kicked off the entire Swiss hard rock movement in the '70s. Their first single, "Stay." made a great deal of headway on the Swiss charts -- a feat that no other hard rock band had ever accomplished in that country. Essentially a power trio consisting of Vittorio "Vic" Vergeat (guitar/vocals), Werner Frohlich (bass) and Cosimo Lampis (drums), Toad enlisted the help of vocalist Bens Jaeger for this (and only this) album. Heavily blues-based rock (à la Cream/Black Sabbath) was the major force behind Toad's hard driving sound, with bassist Frohlich providing a mean (and meanderingly gutsy) counterpoint to Vergeat's loose and greasy guitar licks. The record also has moments of Deep Purple-like propulsion, no doubt thanks to that band's engineer Martin Birch, who manned the controls on this one as well. Like most of the B-list (sometimes C-list) rock groups that Italian imprint Akarma has reissued throughout the early 2000s, Toad's debut was mainly a collector's object in its LP form. There were better bands out there, doing the same sort of thing, but, chances are, those records were already on the shelves of most die-hard collectors. Albums like Toad may have enjoyed regional success in their time, but were largely forgotten or relegated to "closet classic" status (if they were remembered at all). These types of records have been fetching higher and higher prices over the years and it's darn good to see a reissue label dipping into this pool of underappreciated groups. In fact, if you have an appetite for this sort of thing, Akarma's reissue lineup really can't be beat -- plus, they'll save you from getting all that funky record-sleeve-mold on your fingers while you spend months searching for the (rare, rare, rare) original vinyl editions. [Originally released in 1972, Toad was reissued in 2007.] ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
