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Anteater · 02-23-2010, 03:06 PM

Kush – Presents Snow White ... And The Eight Straights (1974)

"Australian funk-prog. with David Bowie clone, kekekekeke!"

1. Wait Overture (2:04)
2. Easy Street (3:50)
3. All Right In The City (2:55)
4. McArthur Park (7:34)
5. Wait (4:53)
6. Satanic Deity (8:51)
7. Christopher John Suite (10:13)
8. Klue (5:23)

Although Australia never really has a progressive rock scene per se', the 70's was still a creative period in time period for the country, where bands were mixing things up and trying new things to see what would stick with audiences and what would not.

Kush, an unusual jazz-tinged rock group from Melbourne with some glam and prog. elements thrown in for good measure, is a case-in-point example of this creative era in Australia's popular music history. Fronted by the androgynous and enigmatic Jeff Duff and made up of other equally talented but obscure musicians, their 1974 debut Presents Snow White ... And The Eight Straights is an adventurous recording that tries a lot of different things...and rarely goes wrong in any of it.

The album kicks off on a minor key, letting some sax, flute and guitar float for a two minute overture amidst Jeff Duff talking off into the distance...before it kicks off into a Chicago-esque swing-jazz number called "Easy Street", giving off a distinct early 60's feel with the dueling sax and horns while the guitar sizzles. Very retro in all the right places, and not bad for an opening number either.

The following three tracks bring a more psychedelic feel to the overall proceedings while still retaining the jazziness present from the opening two-punch, with 'All Right In The City' being quite funky and 'Wait" quite reminiscent of early Soft Machine with a Bowie like vocalist. The balance of elements is rather ear-pleasing, indicating in an obvious way that these guys are more than meets the eye for your average jazz-rock group.

The second half of the album, however, is where things begin to get more interesting. 'Satanic Deity' and 'Christopher John Suite', the two longest tracks on the album, serve as evolutions of what has come before while still remaining very different beasts sonically. The former features some killer guitar and piano work midway, not too unlike some of Jimi Hendrix's more adventurous stuff while the latter 10-minute epic is an exercise in hypnotism, with almost mystical-sounding flute taking center stage for much of the song. Despite the length, it's without a doubt the best cut on the album, falling back on Jeff's vocals and some psychedelic jamming near to end to go out with a bang. The album then closes the door with 'Klute', a short Oriental-scaled number that speeds up the near the 5 minute mark, leaving you wanting more as the horns and guitar disappear into a gradual quiet.

In all honesty, I'm not sure if Kush were ever popular in their home country; they got a bit of radio play and some T.V. appearances, as well as being one of the few brass-rock outfits to possess a sense of humor in their lyrics. That aside though, this was a rather creative group who deserve a wider audience and should touch base with people who are looking for something a bit different from the norm, especially those with a taste for jazz-rock without the meh and bleh.