Growers of Mushroom 1971 Album

Leaf Hound

For the longest time, Growers of Mushroom was known more for being a collector's item than anything else, and a good chunk of this band was carried over from blues-rock stalwarts Black Cat Bones. With screamer Peter French as frontman, they attempted to move into realms then occupied by the likes of Sabbath and Led Zep with this one-off. Instead, it ended up occupying a strange little "tweener" niche, as French's macabre lyrics met up with a clumsy yet unpretentious approach musically which would be cited as a precursor to the 90's stoner rock scene. The opening "Freelance Fiend" is pointed out as a highlight, most likely due to its rough resemblance to Zep's "Black Dog", but my pick is the second track, "Sad Road to the Sea", which really does unwind like a tension-filled high-speed ride down a winding road. "Work My Body" is the big, dark epic here, but it is not all blackout shades and candlelight only - the title track is an off-kilter, '60's-pop loving flashback reminiscent of the Small Faces. Pretty much as soon as the album was recorded, the project splintered, with French moving on to some more immediate high-profile gigs - first, Atomic Rooster, then Cactus.