Alamo

Remember the Alamo? It’s safe to assume this legendary battle cry for Texas independence didn’t apply to the band for which it was named, a southern-styled hard rock quartet that dropped its one and only lp in 1971 for Atlantic Records. That Alamo faded so quickly from memory is hardly a surprise. The group’s sound—competent if generic early ‘70s acid rock—is a combustible cocktail of leaden guitar riffs and churning Hammond organ fills backed by a pounding rhythm section. Led by guitarist Larry Raspberry (great name, I know) and vocalist/keyboardist Ken Woodley, Alamo muscles its way through a gritty array of heavy-handed guitar anthems, including “Got to Find Another Way,” “Question Raised,” “Bensome Changes” and “Get the Feelin’”. The rest of the album follows suit—bruising, prototypical period pieces flush with elongated, rapid-fire guitar solos and quintessential pop psychology indicative of the time period: “Come on people/Listen to my plea/Happiness is free.” Records like this were a dime a dozen back in 1971, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fact that there is a seemingly endless supply of obscure albums for me to own and you to avoid gives me reason to get up in the morning.