Murphy Blend: First Loss (1970)
If Murphy Blend’s one and only album is any reflection of the brand of pipe tobacco that allegedly inspired this Berlin group’s name, then that smoke would have been bold, complex, mildly intriguing, but ultimately too unfocused to warrant repeat puffs.
Released in 1970, before the phenomenon we now call Krautrock had fully taken flight, this is one of those hastily assembled bands, repertoire, and albums that randomly roamed the streets of psych rock, art rock, progressive blues, and even took a brief stroll through the proto-metal alleyway.
Comprised of Wolfgang Rumler (guitar, vocals), Andreas Scholz (bass), Achim Schmidt (drums) and led by Wolf Rüdiger Uhlig (vocals, organ, piano, harpsichord), Murphy Blend also showcased generous neoclassical influences courtesy of the latter and unexpectedly evocative of The Doors.
Yes, the Hammond flourish that ignites “At First” will have you thinking of Jon Lord and Deep Purple (so will the hard-hitting “Präludium / Use Your Feet”), but Uhlig’s baroque scales will soon remind you of Ray Manzarek and his grave baritone of the Lizard King himself.
Don’t get too excited ... Uhlig lacks Morrison’s charisma (understatement of the year) and there are hardly any lyrics on this LP, let alone great poetry; indeed, many songs are 80% instrumental.
Anyway, “Speed is Coming Back” draws us closer to Krautrock with its serpentine guitar, jazzy bass, and intricate rhythms, while the churchy organ, ominous power chords, and classical conclusion of “Past has Gone” recall the likes of Gracious, Power of Zeus, and Iron Butterfly.
The title track is both a sonic omnibus and the heaviest cut on hand, “Funny Guys” includes Bach’s sinister “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” and “Happiness” is a non-song lasting just three seconds, so I suppose it could double as a metaphor for Murphy Blend’s prompt demise following this LP.
The reason why is plain as day: for all the band’s instrumental prowess, the songs on First Loss were obviously rushed into shape, couldn’t deliver a catchy chorus to save their lives, and thus, in the immortal words of Clive Davis, they possessed “no commercial potential.”
After the band’s disintegration, Uhlig, Rumler and Schmidt disappeared without a trace (likely into session work), but bassist Scholz briefly resurfaced the similarly short-lived, also commercially doomed, but more kindly remembered Teutonic heavy rockers Blackwater Park.
More Obscure Heavy Psych & Early Prog: Ainigma's Diluvium, Ancient Grease's Women and Children First, Andromeda’s Andromeda, Asterix’s Asterix, Atomic Rooster’s Death Walks Behind You, Birth Control’s Operation, Blackwater Park’s Dirt Box, Blues Creation’s Demon & Eleven Children, Bodkin's Bodkin, Bolder Damn’s Mourning, Bull Angus’ Bull Angus, Clear Blue Sky’s Clear Blue Sky, Cradle’s The History, Curly Curve’s Curly Curve, Dark’s Dark Round the Edges, Eloy’s Eloy, A Euphonious Wail’s A Euphonious Wail, Fanny Adams’ Fanny Adams, Fields’ Fields, Flied Egg’s Dr. Siegel’s Fried Egg Shooting Machine, Flower Travellin’ Band’s Satori, Fraction’s Moon Blood, Frumpy’s Frumpy 2, Fuzzy Duck’s Fuzzy Duck, Gift’s Gift, Gracious’ Gracious!, Gun’s Gun, Gypsy’s Gypsy, Hammer's Hammer, Hard Meat’s Hard Meat, Haystacks Balboa's Haystacks Balboa, High Tide’s Sea Shanties, Horslips’ The Tain, The Human Beast’s Volume One, Irish Coffee's Irish Coffee, Jade Warrior’s Jade Warrior, Jericho’s Jericho, Josefus’ Dead Man, Kahvas Jute’s Wide Open, Leaf Hound’s Growers of Mushroom, Lucifer’s Friend’s Lucifer’s Friend, Luv Machine's Luv Machine, Lyd’s Lyd, Maypole's Maypole, Morgen's Morgen, Nektar’s A Tab in the Ocean, Night Sun’s Mournin’, Paladin’s Charge!, Pan’s Pan, Patto’s Hold Your Fire, Power of Zeus’ The Gospel According to Zeus, Road’s Road, Rock Island's Rock Island, Silver Metre’s Silver Metre, Steel Mill’s Green Eyed God, Stray’s Stray, Stray Dog’s Stray Dog, T2's It'll All Work Out in Boomland, Tear Gas' Tear Gas, Toad’s Toad, Tucky Buzzard’s Tucky Buzzard, Wild Turkey’s Battle Hymn, Wizard’s The Original Wizard, Zarathustra’s Zarathustra.
