Stack Waddy

Originally released in 1971 on John Peel's Dandelion label and reissued in 2007 on Cherry Red, this boisterous debut by Stack Waddy finds the Manchester quartet laying loud, simpleton blues grooves as the perfect musical playground for John Knail's hilariously feral Captain Beefheart impersonation. Knail runs a veritable clinic on rock vocals throughout these 10 cuts--and nine bonus tracks--with an impossibly gymnastic range bookended by mewling screams and acidic barks. What the band lacks in originality, they more then make up for with muscle. Bracing, fun, and essential for fans of proto-punk, early hard rock, and tough glam.