Kingdom

Thanks to Akarma’s completely inadequate liner notes (er, there aren’t any), I can tell you very little about Kingdom. It would appear this California-based band released its lone self-titled debut album in 1970 on a small label called Specialty Records. Here's what I do know: This is a sturdy, durable set of workman-like blue-collar rock. Kingdom is hardly groundbreaking material, but it’s fairly representative of what was happening at the turn of the decade—gruff, blustery vocals, churning organ and keyboard work and, somewhat rare at the time, twin guitar leads. Highlights include the nifty riff-based rockers “Waiting, Hesitating,” “Down on the Farm” and “No Time Spent,” a song whose lyrical content drifts strangely towards oceanic fantasy (“We are seekers/seeking mermaids/who lie in the sun…”). The album’s one true keeper, though, is a herculean track called “Morning Swallow.” Starting slowly and building to a monumental finish, this epic seemingly paved the way for those great southern rock anthems like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” or, perhaps more accurately, “Green Grass and High Tides” by the Outlaws. All in all, Kingdom is a competent jaunt through the littered landscape of early ‘70s B-grade hard rock.

Notes: Here is an audio-only YouTube clip of "Waiting, Hesitating" by Kingdom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6RrVpBTVA.