Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Visitation
Company: Crested Butte
Catalog: CB 701
Year: 1972
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: white label promo copy; promo stamp on back cover; original inner sleeve and lyric insert
Available: 1
Price: $95.00
The label (Crested Butte) and the overall Western motif, left us with the impression this short-lived early-'70s outfit was from Colorado. Wrong !!! Namesake drummer Tony (Joe) Chirco originally hailed from Westchester County New York. By the early-'70s Chrico had hooked up with producer Mike Cuscuna and the band Sassafras (keyboardist S. H. Footer, drummer Ted MacKenzie, guitarist John Naylor, singer Anvil Roth and bassist Bruce Taylor).
While 1972's "The Visitation" was recorded in New York and Connecticut, the Colorado based Crested Butte Records somehow obtained distribution rights. Produced by Mike Cuscuna and John Forster, given it was released by a small independent label, sonically the album's surprisingly impressive and sounds particularly good with a quality set of headphones. As mentioned earlier, the set really isn't psychedelic, rather offers up a nice mix of '70s hard rock and Styx-styled progressive moods. Thematically and musically the set's divided into two suites - "Older Than Ancient" and "Younger Than New". In spite of the fact many of the eight selections sport a vague new age-styled spiritualistic message, most of the selections sport interesting arrangements and a couple actually rock out. To our ears, highlights are the opener "Sound of the Cross" and "Golden Image". The album's also interesting for it's link to The Remains' Barry Tashian. Tashian apparently helped record at least one track and the album includes a cover of Tashian's "Mister Sunshine". Needless to say, Crested Butte's marketing capabilities were dismal, the album quickly vanishing without a trace.
"The Visitation" track listing:
1.) Sound of the Cross (Chirco - R. Burnley) - 2:15
2.) 33 Years (Bruce Taylor - Billy Chanaca) - 3:51
3.) Cause I Love You (Bruce Taylor - Lee Rickards) - 3:43
4.) Golden Image (Chirco - Anvil Roth) - 7:00
5.) Dear Friends (R. Calabrese - Chirco) - 7:46
6.) Mr. Sunshine (Barry Tashian - Chirco) - 5:08
7.) Minutes (R. Calabrese - Chirco) - 2:51
8.) Child of Peace - 4:49
The album's been reissued twice; once by the Italian Akarma label (catalog number AK 071) and in CD format by Gear Fab (catalog GF-130). Interesting both reissues are defective in that the contain a skip at the start of "Dear Friends".
The '80s found Chirco playing with The Volunteers. A Grateful Dead cover band, they eventually mutated into The Zen Tricksters who attracted a cult following with their mix of Dead-styled jams and similarly styled original material.