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STAN'S COMMENTS:
The first time I heard someone whisper "...Victoria" in hushed
you-can't-afford-it-so-don't-even-ask tones was from a New Orleans collector. The same guy had ranted and raved just a week before when I
tried to sell him a record that had (Gasp!) HORNS on it. "No WAY man! I'm sorry but I just can't deal with horns; I hate 'em." So this guy, a
definite player in the rare LP game, had just scored what was at that moment one of maybe 2 or 3 copies of Victoria that had been turned up
around Philadelphia. A little while later I got a tape of Victoria from someone and was interested to hear that the collector who hates horns
had just shelled out $2,000 or so for a Blood, Sweat & Tears LP, albeit
a Blood, Sweat & Tears LP with endearing Guitar-Ensemble-off-key-female
vocals and a very good guitarist with a great fuzz tone.
I have a strong personal affection for failed ambition and Victoria seems to fall well inside those spaces. These guys are really trying
here. The opener, "Peace", establishes the horn section & female vocals
blend that is the album's sound; the short spoken-word section and brief
quote from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (which wasn't a good idea when Morley Grey did it either) also helps establish the flower-child
pretensions as well. This pleasant ever-so-slightly-off-key vocal blend moves through the second, more organ-driven, track "Cumberland" sort of
like a brightly colored balloon drifting across a lazy summer sky. The other identifying sonic characteristic here, a stinging fuzzy distorted
guitar tone, is introduced in the more frenetic third track "Gevaro."
"Down to the Park (Earth Day Park)" holds a special fascination for me; this was a New Jersey band and the reference here is very possibly to
the first "Earth Day" celebration held on Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park on April 22, 1970. I was there and I
remember the music and the crowd and now-infamous murder suspect then local counter-culture guru Ira Einhorn and chanting with Allen
Ginsberg; but most of all I remember a girl with long yellow hair wearing white
robes and dancing barefoot in a small clearing under some trees. The album's centerpiece, the 12:35 minute "Village of Etaf" is a
near-perfect example of the ambitions that seemed so possible in the cultural climate of those times (and so unthinkable today).
For a brief period a few years ago I actually owned both versions of the
original Victoria LP and both of these are well represented, along with seven additional bonus cuts, on the pretty red velvet digi-pack CD on
the Little Indians (Shadoks) label. My only criticism of the reissue is that it provides virtually NO information about the band other than the
very confusing notion that it was comprised of 3 women vocalists and Greg
Ruban, while having photo inserts of five guys and a girl (come on, Thomas... would it kill you to do a band bio once in a while?). If my
love for this record could be reduced to a single digit number (a ridiculous proposition, no?) there's an outside chance it might be an
eight. M- copy for $1,500-$3,000.
RICH'S COMMENTS
I mentioned here recently that many of the unknown LP's dug up in the
last few years came in plain white covers (Jungle, Butterfingers, Metz, etc.). This generic packaging is most likely the reason these
LP's remained a mystery for so long. Victoria is one of those LP"s but that's not the only unique thing about this East Coast
LP. The band (for the most part) is female. Leader Greg Ruban found himself 3 capable young ladies to back him on his homemade musical
fantasy. Greg himself is a pretty unusual guy....a professional Volleyball player who at 6'6" was still playing into his 50's. Greg
recorded a bunch of material in the late 60's and early 70's and one day maybe another one of his LP's "Nickels & Dimes" will see the
light of day. But on to the Victoria LP. Warning: Honky Hornaphobics Beware...this LP does make use of the dreaded horn section on 2-3
cuts and not necessarily always in a good way. Side One starts off with "Peace" a nice
garagy ballad with echoy "Cumberland" is even more low key with those cool
echoey female vox and a Wendy & Bonnie feel but more amateurish. Cut
#3 is fantastic...."Gevaro" starts off like a Santana style jammer but actually gets a little Middle East vibe going....killer
fuzz guitar and the dreaded horns but they're buried on this track and a very bizarre drum
sol o(I like the "style" of this female drummer) This is for the most part, an instrumental. "Ride A
Rainbow" starts off like a lost Hendrix cut but quickly gets into a female vocal track about Wizards & Dragons & Incense & Stuff. Nice
guitar break and bass line. I have to admit that I can't think of another female psych band that are as tight as this
one (no pun intended all you perverts) and Greg Ruban's guitar really cuts through
the smoke with a classic psych sound. "Never Knew The Blues" slows the pace again with a great organ sound and cool low key wah-wah
pedal guitar....this is probably my favorite cut on the LP and is
what I always hoped the Jade Stone & Luv LP sounded like. Last cut on Side One is a throwaway....a lame attempt at AM Top
40 drivel with horns from hell. Side Two is a totally different trip. Two long cuts starting with the 12 minute+ "Village Of
Etaf". Imagine an East Coast version of CA Quintet's "Trip Thru Hell" done
by three chicks influenced by Joan Baez and a second rate Herb Alpert & The Marijuana Brass. The only redeeming thing about this
track is the effects used in the last 4 minutes that do indeed remind me of a "Trip Thru Hell". The final cut is probably the highlight for
most owners of this LP. "Core Of The Apple" is an upbeat, fuzz guitar 8 minute killer with that same Middle East feel that we caught a
glimpse of on side one.
Overview: The good cuts are GREAT but the lesser cuts really bring this LP down a notch or two. In the world of female psych bands this
may be one of the best, but on an overall scale of 1-10 I give this LP a 5. I do have an advantage over some
listeners as I have seen photos of the band which did not come in my Little Indians
version....if the chicks were naked in the photos I might have raised it to a 6!!!!
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