Blind Willie "Blind Willie" CD

★First limited production
★Paper jacket specification

The elusive "American Hard" secret recordings are finally revealed! The "missing link" that was nurtured in the 1970s by Seattle, which created a whirlwind in the US rock scene with artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, the elusive recordings by Blind Willie are being released for the first time in the world!

Formed in the fall of 1971 in Spokane, Washington. The band started out with four members who had been active in local bands - Charlie Beaker (guitar), Craig Karp (guitar), Frank Troubridge (guitar), and Jim Griffiths (drums). With an irregular lineup in which each member took turns playing bass for each song, the diverse sound created by the combination of lead guitars with different personalities gained a reputation, and they performed live not only in their hometown of Washington, but also in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and even across the border in Canada. This album is a compilation of the 4-track studio demo recordings that they made in 1972 after gaining local popularity.
This album captures the heat of their live shows. From the roaring slides of (1) "Georgia" to the hard riffs of (2) "Try," the allegorical space/progressive (6) "Zollie," the jazzy development and singable hooks of (8) "California Woman," the driving (9) "I Might Be The One," and the folk-rock-like (10) "Rainbow Lorraine," they stick to American hard rock while captivating with their elaborate songwriting and thrilling lead guitar exchanges. In order to fully demonstrate their appeal as a live band, this album was recorded in a studio live format. The flames that erupt from their playing, such as overdubbing cheers at the end of songs, are still burning even half a century after the recording. This album also includes a bonus recording of a live performance at KZOK Studio in Seattle in 1974. With the addition of the rhythm section of Joe Johnson (bass) and Mike Garland (drums), the band's performances have become even more powerful.
They honed their skills as opening acts for Elvin Bishop, Delaney & Bonnie, and Jim Crouch, and backed up for Albert Collins, The Drifters, and The Coasters, attracting mainstream attention. Dave Shogren, the original bassist of The Doobie Brothers, was in the band, and in the later years they moved to Seattle and were used as opening acts for Canned Heat, Ike & Tina Turner, Billy Joel, and others. Frank Troubridge played steel guitar on Bachman-Turner Overdrive's Not Fragile (1974), establishing a foothold in the major leagues, but they were unable to secure a formal record contract. They broke up in early 1975. Their album, released for the first time, presents a "possible future" for American Herd.

■Track list