Review seventy-nine was Mazzy Star with the excellent So Tonight That I Might See (https://www.albumsin200words.co.uk/post/79-mazzy-star-so-tonight-that-i-might-see).
Mazzy Star were Dave Roback and Hope Sandoval. Hope had been recommended to Roback by Kendra Smith, to be clear before this review I had no idea who Kendra Smith was.
A quick read finds she was in Dream Syndicate and joined Rainy Day with Roback and other Paisley Underground musicians releasing one album before they decided to become Clay Allison adding Keith Mitchell on drums and then changing their name to Opal. They recorded one album before Smith quit in the middle of their debut tour as she felt they were going in different directions; Sandoval took over and Opal became Mazzy Star.
What a bloody shame she felt she could not longer continue as that one album is Happy Nightmare Baby and it is truly a fantastic record, since listening to it I have been on Discogs and eBay and felt like a wee cry when I saw the prices, I demand a re-release so I can buy it.
Rocket Machine starts with a rough guitar as if they are tuning up and then the drums come in and Smith drawls out her vocal with the guitar and drums pummelling along for the whole song, a perfect heavy start.
This record is a psychedelic delight as Doors-like organ introduces Magick Power with the bass hypnotising and drawing me in, magic powers indeed.
A Falling Star starts like T Rex , I think there may even be bongos in there, its brief but lovely and She’s a Diamond has a laid-back feel from Smith but Roback swarms around her, what a guitar player this man was, listen to his solo on Supernova.
Siamese Trap has a thudding bass and the keyboard burrows into in your head.
And the title track is the most playful track on here, but Roback can’t resist putting some riffs on in the background and the stunning Soul Giver ends this flawless record with even more psychedelia, heavy keys, and guitar and again Smith more than holds her own as she weaves in and out.
It got the obligatory three listens but I knew this was magnificent from the first listen and if you have this lying around on vinyl and don’t want it send it my way, I’ll even pay the postage (what a guy eh and how delusional that he thinks someone would part with this record)
10/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Not available but go on YouTube now and listen to the whole bloody thing. All nine tracks are great, but I’ll go with Soul Giver.
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