Kelakos-Uncorked: Rare Tracks from a Vintage '70s Band

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Alright classic rock and roll fans it's time to drop what you're doing and listen up! I've got just one word for you and you are going to want to write this one down. That word is Kelakos and it represents everything that was and still is right with the world when it came to the sights and sounds of the seventies rock scene! And now, with everything from yesterday suddenly hip and trendy with the in-crowd and with modern technology capable of turning long-gotten tape recordings into bright, bold and beautiful collections like this one, everyone young and old can enjoy the music of this hidden-treasure of a band! Rocking and recording out of Ithaca, NY, this fanciful four-piece was composed of lead singer/guitarist George Michael Kelakos Haberstroh, guitarist Mark Sisson, bassist Lincoln Bloomfield and drummer Carl Canedy. For heavy metal fans the name Carl Canedy should ring a bell as this multi-talented musician not only played with everyone from The Rods to Manowar, but was responsible for producing albums for Anthrax, Overkill, TT Quick, Exciter and even the almighty Possessed! Here on the (fully-remixed) 15-track "Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage '70s Band" Canedy's skills are put to the test and naturally these various numbers go a long way towards reaffirming just how good Carl was and is behind a solid drum set! With Carl working his magic on the drums the other three musicians involved with creation of these classic tracks were able to move about freely as witness on the smashing cut, "All You Need Is A Ticket". This one song alone has some fat solos that will tickle your classic rock itch while simultaneously tilting straight towards the group's hard rock potential! For Kelakos (who incidentally took their band name so that they could honor their singer/guitarist's family heritage) it all started  in 1976 with the band issuing its first single, "There's A Feeling"/"Funky Day", before moving on to release the long-sought after LP, "Gone Are the Days"(the title of which sounds refreshingly like classic Allman Brothers Band!), in September of 1978. This 15-track collection collects all of the band's previously-released material along with the never-before-released song, "In the Sun". With Lincoln Bloomfield responsible for mixing the original tracks for this collection and Blaine Misner tasked with the mastering the material the end result is a CD that is more than worthy of admission into one's personal classic rock collection! Starting with the cool and collective "Boogie Bad Express" the band weaves in and out of rock music's past with the would-be AOR-hit "Rachel" fitting in rather nicely next to the Zeppelin-like "Frostbite Fantasy"! "Rachel" isn't the only track that would have had major AM radio-appeal as the wonderful "Follow Your Dream" combines the Procol Harum and the softly-spoken voice of guitarist George Michael Kelakos Haberstroh into the perfect evening cocktail! perfectly! With influences ranging from the Beatles to Grand Funk this band makes the smooth "How Did You Get So Crazy" sound like a staple of adult contemporary before mixing the likes of The Doobie Brothers, Santana and Traffic together for the spectacular "Lovin' So Fine"! The use of exotic instrumentation on "Persephone's Poison" does bring to mind more Santana, but it's the way in which this band works together is nothing short of spectacular! It's an absolute shame that this band didn't get their proper due back in the seventies as other than maybe "Change Your Mind" this amazing collection has cut after cut that could have made a splash on AM radio! Easily the smooth yet sassy "Till The Break Of Day" could have charted and the same could be said of the unreleased "In The Sun"! Ending with the single "There's A Feeling" this 15-track collection makes the case even stronger for resurrecting long-lost albums. Between the fully-remixed sound and the nice CD booklet that comes with "Uncorked: Rare Tracks from a Vintage '70s Band" there is so much to love about this 2015 re-release. For fans of classic rock and roll the excellent "Uncorked: Rare Tracks from a Vintage '70s Band" seems like a real no-brainer!