Two-Sided Fantasy

Landslide's only album is amiable but inconsequential early-'70s rock. It's not indebted to any style or band in particular, though one can hear traces of the Allman Brothers, Santana, and blues-rock acts like Johnny Winter. There's some Jack Bruce/Cream quaver in the vocals, too, particularly on one of the more melodic cuts, "Dream Traveler." A gentler laid-back bluesy groove is explored in "Creepy Feelin'." But on the whole it doesn't have songs or riffs to get excited about, and the rave-up on the closing blues-rocker "Happy" sounds like an attempt to create some excitement that isn't inherent in the material. This rare 1972 Capitol release was reissued on CD by Akarma in 2003. ~ Richie Unterberger