(Psychedelic Rock) Pussy - Pussy Plays - 1969 (2001), MP3, 320 kbps

The unfortunately named Pussy released one self-titled album on the small London label Morgan Blue Town in 1969. Morgan Blue Town had a habit of printing its albums in meagre quantities (and in the case of Chimera recording 20 tracks worth of material and then forgetting to release any of it) and as such much of the back catalogue has become very saught after.
Due to its scarcity the original Pussy Plays LP can command large three figure sums from record dealers, being regarded by many as a lost classic of the UK psych scene. Thankfully it has been reissued by Arkama and can be picked up off Amazon for a fraction of the price.
Fortes Mentum
Pussy were previously known as Fortes Mentum, a band who released a string of fine psychedelic singles on Parlaophone. Apart from that, any more biographical information of the band is practically non-existent. On the record itself Danny Beckerman gets named as contributing the majority of the tracks on the LP.
From the fact that the front cover bears a picture of an enormous orange cat and that both the album begins and ends with the sound of said cat screeching, one can ready tell that this is an album not to be taken too seriously. It smacks of the same whimsy that makes British psychedelia so appealing.
Pussy Plays
“We built the Sun” is a marvellous bit of wide-eyed hippy nonsense, with the vocalist proclaiming in hushed tones that “I am Mr Sun and Mr Snow” over the backing of a single repetitive guitar line and complimentary swells of organ. Sadly the naive chorus lets the track down, with the backing vocals tending to go a bit flat.
“The Open Ground” is also apt to raise a smile, being as it is a spoken word piece on the destruction of the environment. Unfortunately any gravitas which the doom-laden poetry may have contained is lost in the vocalist’s middle-class diction.
More on this topic
Album Review: Arzachel
A Brief History of Progressive Rock
The Origin of Progressive Rock
There are some true highlights on this album. “Come Back June” starts with a killer bass-line before crashing into a stone-wall sixties groove. Heavy Hammond organ and a competent bit of guitar work make this an infectious piece of psychedelic pop. Similarly “All of My Life” is more of the same but decidedly laid back groove, with the band sounding reminiscent of the 13th Floor Elevators.
And as with most albums of this era and nature there are couple of brilliant loose jams. The first of these is “Comet”; lead on its way by a raging Theremin, ably backed up by frenetic guitars, organ and ungodly slowed-down vocals. The other is the final track, “G.E.A.B”, and is a prime slice of funky psych rock which builds steadily over a heavy break beat and organ stabs. Meandering guitar solos bring the album to a clattering close.
On the value of their one record Pussy do not seem to warrant their mythical status or hefty price tag. Nevertheless their sole album has its moments, and stands as a piece that bridges the gap between psychedelia and the progressive rock scene.