Sunday, March 20, 2016

Thunderp***y - Documents of Captivity (1973 us, great concept heavy prog rock)



Quincy Indiana's contributions to mid-1970s' progressive rock ...  Printed in miniscule quantities (reportedly 1,000 copies were originally pressed), this one's attracted a cult following and some glistening reviews.

The line up consisted of singer/guitarist Steven Jay Morris, bass player Ben Russell and drummer George Jake Tutko, with an assist from keyboardist/lyricist David Leon Felts.  Morris was apparently the brainchild behind the enterprise.  In addition to producing the trio's 1973 debut "Documents of Captivity", he handled most of the vocals and wrote the majority of the material (Felt was credited with lyrics on two selections).

Divided into a series of "six documents" the album was apparently intended as a concept piece, though the sci-fi-ish plotline was largely lost on me.  Musically tracks like 'Document of Enigma / Scream Inside' and 'Document of Extrinsic Value / Lucifer' were best described as conventional (if very good) hard rock. 

Morris had a nice voice and, in spite of the cumbersome plotline tracks such as 'Document of Security / Moonlite Ladies' and 'Document of Latent Summation / In the Forest' offered up strong and surprisingly conventional melodies that stood up separately and apart from the overarching concept. Bassist Russell was particularly good.  
Tracks
1. Document Of Enigma (I. Scream Inside II. Instrumentation / Eden To Now)  (co-Lyrics by David Leon Felts)- 6:39
2. Document Of Validation (I. Observation Of Us II. Instrumentation / The Slave And The Duke) - 7:32
3. Document Of Extrinsic Value (I. Lucifer II. Instrumentation / The Battle) - 5:00
4. Document Of Inquiry (I. To Be Real II. Instrumentation / The Curious Child) - 4:43
5. Document Of Security (I. Moonlight Ladies II. Instrumentation / The Pursuit) (co-Lyrics by David Leon Felts) - 5:33
6. Document Of Latent Summation (I. In The Forest II. Instrumentation / The Then) - 7:40
7. Warriors (Live Bonus Track) - 6:59
8. Stone Free (Live Bonus Track) (Jimi Hendrix) - 3:51
9. Lucifer (Live Bonus Track) - 6:15
10.Eleanor Rigby (Live Bonus Track) (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 11:47
All songs written by Steven Jay Morris except where indicated

Thunderp***y
*George Jake Tutko - Drums, Percussion, Marimba
*Steven Jay Morris - Vocals, Lead, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer
*Ben Russell - Bass, Flute, Vocals

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