Deep cuts: Riches from the rock underground

There’s a vibe within the grooves of Tin House, which makes it sound fresh even 46 years after its original release.

This relatively obscure power trio from Orlando, Florida were admired and approved of by Johnny and Edgar Winter, and Leslie West was also a fan.

Comprising 10 juicy tracks and clocking in at 34 minutes, Tin House is a roller-coaster ride through hard and heavy blues rock blasters and gentler twists and turns, all executed with individuality and excellent musicianship.

High testosterone levels fuel the frenzy of piledriving opener I Want Your Body, with naff lyrics taking a back seat to the full-on proto-metal assault. It’s a killer track, and not the only one.

Silver Star, with the opening line ‘Ride a crimson horse through the depths of hell’, exudes more class than all-out bombast, with hints of Cream and Mountain shining through the darkness. Be Good And Be Kind is another belter, as is Jezebel, while the semi-acoustic Tomorrow shows a mellower side, as does the lush string section on majestic closer Lady Of The Silent Opera.

Early-70s American hard rock albums don’t get much better than Tin House. Floyd Radford is the star of the show with his tasteful playing, soloing, riffs, textures and overall tone. Had he not been poached by the Winter brothers, who knows what kind of a future Tin House would have had? The band, minus Cole, reunited and released the album Winds Of Past in 2009.

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