The Power Trio got its start with Blue Cheer, who were promptly plagarized by Cream, which began a trend that ran through Mountain and ended up producing the likes of Rush and Triumph. Dust falls somewhere near Leslie West and Company on the continuum. As with all Power Trios (Blue Cheer excepted), the problem is that one of the intrumental hot shots has to sing, and that is certainly a drawback with Dust. This self-titled debut comes from the era of New York rock before Television built the CBGB stage, where historians have pieced together what the likes of The Dictators and The Dolls were up to but much of the rest is a bit murky. This record was released on the Kama Sutra label, making Dust stablemates to the Flamin’ Groovies and Hackamore Brick, but the similarity ends there as Dust musically features mostly mid to up tempo driving hard rock powered by bassist Kenny Aaronson and drummer Marc Bell (who in the picture on the back, with his leather jacket and bad posture, looks already completely suited for his surname change to Ramone seven years later). Guitarist Richie Wise provides vocals which lurch between the Foghat variety of Southern Rock and the corporate style dominant on American radio later in the decade. Musically however Dust often delivered rock solid ravers that approached the styles of the Pink Fairies and Mott the Hoople.

Side One kicks off with “Stone Woman”, a midtempo rocker bordering on Southern boogie. “Chasin’ Ladies” is the closest to a punker that this album has to offer, with high energy guitar raving that most recalls Mountain. In “Goin’ Easy” they attempt a Let It Bleed / Sticky Fingers era Stones style blues rocker with decent results. The first side ends on a high note with “Love Me Hard” which features heavy riffage that recalls “Brain Capers” Mott or even a less acid-soaked Sabbath. One of the highlights.

Side Two opens with the 9:49 centerpiece of the record titled “From a Dry Camel”. With its tempo changes and near psychedelic guitar set to a driving drone, this track would be at home on a contemporary Hawkwind album. It’s the best thing here. “Often Shadows Felt” follows with the seemingly obligatory for the period “pretty” song with prominent acoustic guitar. There are a couple of bass / drum rave-ups and overdubbed steal guitar to change things up, but overall it’s nothing special. Likewise for the album closer “Loose Goose”, which is a uptempo boogie-woogie bass driven instrumental that could be passed off as a Zeppelin or Ten Year After outtake. Strictly filler.

Dust’s first album thus should be enjoyable enough to enthusiasts of early seventies hard rock to keep it from being categorized as strictly an artifact. However it’s slight tendencies toward commecialism keep it from being a mutant classic ala High Time or Raw Power, and it’s high energy big beat backing is probaly a bit too much for the typical Yes-Crimson-ELP prog fan. No wonder the group fell through the cracks after a single follow-up.

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