A Foot in Coldwater: A Foot in Coldwater (1972)
Here’s a very underrated self-titled debut, released all of 50 years ago, by an early contender in the Canadian hard rock scene: Toronto’s curiously named A Foot in Coldwater, who enjoyed some modest success in the short term, but sadly failed to pan out in the long run.
Both the name and the group itself were concocted by music executive Frank Davies, who enticed Alex Machin (vocals) and Paul Naumann (guitar) of the band Island, plus Bob Horne (keyboards), Hughie Leggat (bass and vocals), and Danny Taylor (drums) of Nucleus and the Lords of London, to join forces and then sign to his label, Daffodil.
I’m including the indie label’s stylized ‘four-heart clover’ inner sleeve among the stippled gatefold’s photos overhead, because it’s as classy and clean as the bright yellow Daffodil label is boisterous -- and because it’s an adequate reflection of the raw, elemental vibe central to these recordings.
How raw?
Well, listen closely and you’ll hear someone in the studio cue the boys for first track “On the Wind,” which recalls Free’s frugal brand of blues rock with its cowbell, wide open spaces, and slow and steady shuffle -- later revisited with a stronger organ presence on “Deep Freeze” and “Alone Together.”
By contrast, the lyrically nefarious “Yalla Yae” leans towards Deep Purple and Black Sabbath with its muscular power chords, then throws in some strings just to fuck with us, before unleashing Machin’s ragged screech, which descends from the heights like a dive-bombing eagle:
“Make way for the devil ... He’s knocking on your door! Give in to his evil ... Comin’ through the below!”
Side two yields another catchy standout in the effusive, foot-stomping “Who Can Stop Us Now,” along with the boys’ almost mandatory visit to the farm (everybody was doing it!) via the acoustic “Fallen Man,” and an absolutely devastating heavy blues led by Naumann called “In Heat.”
But the album’s most famous cut, for better or worse, was its big saccharine ballad (no ‘power’ to it, I’m afraid), “(Make Me Do) Anything You Want,” which took its fawning words of love into the Canadian Top 25 and stamped A Foot in Coldwater’s tickets to yacht rock infamy.
That mushy hit became both a blessing and a curse for these guys, who would henceforth feel ever under pressure to court mainstream pop ingredients in a fruitless attempt to replicate its success, undermining their legitimate heavy rock credentials along the way.
More A Foot in Coldwater: A Second Foot in Coldwater, Or All Around Us.