February 12, 2006
Pumped Up
Sometimes you can’t remember where you first heard a record. The first Sir Lord Baltimore LP is like that for me. It was probably Bruce Merkle or Bill Kamens who played it for me, or it might have been Tom Smith.
This isn’t mere namedropping; it’s good to give credit for acts of kindness.
Anyway, it sure didn’t come out of the radio. I never read the infamous Creem review by pre-Angry Samoans “Metal Mike” Saunders that is said to be “the first known reference to ‘Heavy Metal’ as a musical genre.” By the time I heard ‘em, punk had crashed over the musical landscape and temporarily washed away most traces of unhip stuff like this. Only a small underground of collectors and wackos were interested in the pseudo-classical macho pomp psychedelia of a Sir Lord Baltimore, the consensus being that the world needed all-new rock cliches, or something. I got my copy at the old Venus Records in NYC, before they moved the store to the other side of Astor Place.
Here’s an excellent review of the history of the band and their ridiculously over-the-top heavy rock sound (my only problem is the writer bringing Van Halen into it, ’cause Baltimore shouldn’t be blamed for the lameness of later generations).
This album is proof that “the seventies” actually started in 1969. It’s so ahead of its time; listen to the opening sandpaper guitar belches of “Pumped Up” and imagine how unusual they must’ve sounded even to fans of Hendrix, Blue Cheer or Cream. Maybe some of you old geezers actually heard this when it first came out. What did you think?
The CD reissue - that contains both the indispensible Kingdom Come and the bumbling, dull self-titled followup album - appears to be out of print. Kingdom Come could be seen as its own template for the hard rock LP, a Brooklyn manifesto if you will, including their epic seafaring odyssey “Kingdom Come,” the frantic proto-thrash of “Ain’t Got Hung on You” & “Pumped Up” and even the token harpsichord-heavy ballad, “Lake Isle of Innersfree.” (I love how the title dumbs down the already leaden symbolism of the poem Lake Isle of Innisfree by overexplaining - sort of like redoing “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and calling your version “You Gave Me Orgasms All Night Long When We Had Sex.”) Through it all, Louis Dambra’s monster guitar riffing and squealing and singing drummer (!) John Garner’s vocal “blues” histrionics and insane drum fills are enough to make the later Grand Funk Railroad look like masters of subtlety and understatement, let alone their more tasteful numbskull contemporaries Led Zeppelin.
To sum up: This record is an absolute must for fans of ripping bonehead rock, dudes growing out their sideburns, smokers of weed and archaeologists interested in primitive cultures. Count me in, too.
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Kingdom Come”
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Helium Head (I Got a Love)”
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Ain’t Got Hung on You”
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Lady of Fire”
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Lake Isle of Innersfree”
Sir Lord Baltimore - “Pumped Up”
Rick at 11:07 am
9 CommentsÈ
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gotta go down in the basement and find my broadsword and armored breastplate - this shit is epic!
Comment by wi11iam13 Ñ February 13, 2006 @ 12:02 am
Rick, eons ago you gave me a spinoff tape from the History of Music series. This tape had a selection of Captain Beyond, SAHB and SLB. Of course, I’m not sure where that tape is now, but thanks to Toestubber, I’ve got them back!
You rule! [bang head, give power fist devil horns]
I really relish the delights you serve up!
Comment by Ivan Lerner Ñ February 13, 2006 @ 6:51 pm
Hi, I’m a geezer who was 15 years old when my friend got this record. We thought it pretty cool, but were not greatly impressed by it. Master Heatache and Kingdome Come were the tracks we liked best. We played it a lot but it was amatueristic and thin sounding. We thought it was a local band that got lucky. We thought the production was lightweight. It’s been great to hear it again after 35 years or so. It’s a prime example of why music was so great at that time, so many styles and sounds were available. (and on the radio too)
Comment by Don Ñ February 13, 2006 @ 9:33 pm
Squeaky made me a mix tape with “Lady of Fire” on it. I lost that tape but never forgot the damned song. Excuse me, I need to go wax my IROC in a loincloth now.
Comment by Namella Ñ February 16, 2006 @ 12:06 pm
let me say this…………….SLB had more guts than any band of its day.they were anre still are to me ,the standard by which all guitar metal bands should be compared to.they were as raw as raw can get.unpolished,but it is so kool to hear the scrapes and pick noise of the Dambra school of hard rock guitar.although their 2nd release is more experimental and “studio” than the first,and definitley not as wild,i have learned(maybe its just the fact that im getting older) actually over the last couple of weeks of intense listening,to appreciate many of the songs on the second release,especially the CAESAR .
at any rate ,sir lord baltimore goes down in my book as the most underrated,overlooked,and underappreciated band in rock history.ive been waiting over 30 years to say that!!!if you aint got the their cd(s) you dont know what your missing
gary in va.
gary
Comment by GARY Ñ May 2, 2006 @ 5:22 pm
I have a quick question for SLB fans and I just dont know how else to look.
I cant seem to find their lyrics anywhere.. And I mean ANYWHERE!
I really want to find the lyrics for: Lake Isle Of Innersfree
But I can not.
Any suggestions?
Comment by Mrs.Mucklebones Ñ July 22, 2006 @ 11:22 pm
Dear Mrs. Mucklebones:
She was to me
As time is to eternity
We were so free
By Lake Isle of Innersfree
My wounds have bled
Was it something I left unsaid
Where do I go
Seems like aeons of years ago
When she lived for me
I see her face
Then it’s gone without a trace
Now it’s only me
By Lake Isle of Innersfree
Love sped too fast
I look into my future past
So be my fate
She is gone from me and still I wait
And endlessly
She was only seventeen
You might say in her prime
She said we’d do it all my friend
We’d do it all in time
But now a stranger to myself
I think about it now and then
When she was only seventeen
I was eight and ten
What’s become of my life
What’s become of my life
Each day I live, each day I die
What’s become of my life
Each day gone by I learn to live another lie
As time goes by
As time goes by
As time goes by
As time goes by…
Comment by Rick Ñ July 23, 2006 @ 1:51 am
Can someone help me with Kingdom Come lyrics? I can’t find any either…
Comment by Wolfgang Ñ October 1, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Wolfgang: I get stuck toward the end…
I hear sirens calling me
I fell prey unto the wind
Sail on crimson majesty
Turn, turn, wheel of fortune spin
Until my kingdom come
And then I will be done
Tired voyage on the brink
Eyes want only for to sleep
Sinking thoughts I could not link
Fathom’d raptures of the deep
O come my kingdom come
And then I will be done
Come my kingdom, come
Wake me, paradise untold
Giant phoenix be my wings
Roll on, chariots of gold
All rise, hail the king of kings
O come my kingdom come
And then I will be done
Shining wizards bring the rain
Shooting arrows at the sun
Praise him, for that now he shall reign
Deaf ears, beat your silent drum
O come my kingdom come
O then I will be done
Come my kingdom, come
Virgin burn’d by midnight flame
I shall never know your name
(??) blinding (??)
Say I, all that’s left’s been said
O come my kingdom, come
And then I will be done
O come my kingdom, come
And then I will be done
Comment by Rick Ñ October 1, 2007 @ 10:06 pm