siLLy puPPy It’s amazing how some bands can stick together for decades trying to craft their music into a cohesive whole and never quite achieve what they intended and then there are rare cases where a band exists for less than a year, releases one album and crafts such a masterful work of art that it’s still sought after half a century after its initial release. Such is the case of the Dutch band CARGO that had its roots in the band September before experiencing a lineup change along with a moniker reboot. This short-lived band existed only in the year 1972, recorded a total of four tracks, released one self-titled album and then disappeared never to be heard from again.

All the three members of CARGO emerged from the ashes of the Amsterdam based September which released three heavy psych / Nederbeat singles in 1970-71 before changing things up a bit and crafting an album of heavy progressive rock that focused on extensive jams and intricate twin guitar attacks delivered by Jan De Hont and Ad de Hont in the vein of the Allman Brothers or Wishbone Ash. The band also featured bassist Willem de Vries and drummer Dennis Witbraat along with a few guest musicians. Although released on the Harvest label, CARGO’s sole release went completely unnoticed with zero promotion, zero airplay and absolutely no live performances to support the album. Basically the band recorded this one album and that was the end of it but the album has become one of those hot collectibles due to its scarcity and the quality of the hard rock performances here has kept CARGO relevant so many decades later.

The album features four tracks with the shortest, “Finding Out” being just over 5 minutes and the longest “Summerfair” carrying on for almost 16. Mostly instrumental with some vocal parts delivered by bassist Willem de Vries, the album is basically an album’s worth of long jamming sessions that feature tight rhythms and uncanny guitar weaving intricacies. The album is much more than about playing a simple tight rhythm though and overlaying it with dueling guitar workouts. The compositions themselves are much more developed and progressive than the Allman Brothers or Foghat or any of those famous 70s jam bands. While the rhythm section is often funk or blues based, the tracks allow for interesting breaks that offer contrasting musical motifs before the band jumps back into the jamming extravaganzas.

The album starts out with the instantly catchy “Sail Inside” that develops a strong guitar melody accompanied by a thumping bass groove and heavy percussion. The vocals fit in perfectly with the music and the track offers slower moments. This one sounds the most like the Allman Brothers style that displays an outstanding display of twin guitar build ups that allow the two guitarists to trade off in subtle ways. Given the near 11-minute playing time, the track has time to evolve and drift off into unforeseen territories. By far my favorite track of the album. The 8 1/2 minute “Cross Talking” follows and starts with a strong bass and drum groove before launching a more funkified guitar attack. The band is amazing in how it can start off with a rather simple idea and then incrementally ratchet up the tension and complexities throughout the track’s run. This track also showcases some of the most sizzling hot guitar soloing.

“Finding Out” is the shortest track and features the most demanding time signature outburst although the guitar is primarily funk based. It starts off as a call and response between the instruments and vocals and then develops into a feisty funk rock extravaganza. The closing behemoth “Summerfair” sails on for 15 1/2 minutes and runs the gamut of heavy Wishbone Ash inspired bluesy rock with twin guitar wizardry to feisty funk rock and chilled out vocal sections with delicate melodic developments that keep the track from becoming a mindless jam. Overall this is an amazing album and i’m not the biggest fan of jam bands that play on endlessly. CARGO mastered the art of variation throughout their four track album and even though the tracks seem like their unnecessarily lengthy, these skilled musicians delivered it all like seasoned pros. The vocals are pleasant, the rhythmic drives deliver the right amount of spunk at the right time and all the melodic touches are golden. This truly is a gem of the Dutch underground that has only become more popular as time goes on. Remastered versions feature all the demos and September singles.