THE MISUNDERSTOOD — Golden Glass (review)

THE MISUNDERSTOOD — Golden Glass album cover

Album · 1984 · Proto-Metal

2.5/5 · 2015-11-28
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This album was one that never should have happened. That’s not because it’s a bad album, but it shouldn’t have ever been released as The Misunderstood. First of all, it only includes one member of any of the three previous line-ups including the classic line-up.

The Misunderstood is an underground legend. They were on the cusp of success when the U.S. draft stole their singer, Rick Brown. The band had struggled to find success first around their home state of California and later in London. All the while, the U.S. draft dogged them. First they lost one of their original guitarists, who upon being shipped off to Vietnam, killed himself because he didn’t want to kill others. They were fortunate enough to replace him with steel guitarist, Glenn Ross Campbell. Playing R&B with the Yardbirds as their main influence, the addition of Campbell and his special home-rigged lightshow made The Misunderstood stand apart from other Riverside, CA bands. They happened to get noticed by British DJ, John Peel while he was working in the U.S. and he helped them record an album of material on acetate to be pedalled around to local radio stations and record companies. When success alluded them, he encouraged them to head overseas to London where he was certain their music would be a hit.

Before leaving, however, bassist Steve Whiting had to go for his health inspection (he failed by pretending to be hard of hearing). Then singer Rick Brown got his notice. The band went on ahead to London and Brown followed a few weeks later. The band in the meantime had struggled with a poor manager and switched to a better one who got them hooked up with a wealthy investor who was looking to spend money on a rock band. Once Brown was there, guitarist Greg Treadway announced his departure from the band because of the draft. By another stroke of luck, the got English lead guitarist Tony Hill on board and the band’s song writing took a turn toward the spectacular. They recorded six songs in the fall of ’66 that got them labelled as “The sound of ‘67”. But then Brown got drafted by the U.S. army, and the band got shafted by their management as they felt that signing the band was a mistake and a loss for them without their singer. The band members returned home and Campbell later got a job cleaning industrial sized pots for a restaurant.

One day while he was using a new cleaning solvent to clean the pots, he noticed that his skin was dissolving. He rushed home and covered his hands in Vaseline and gauze and a few days after received a call from The Misunderstood’s original London manager asking if he’d like to return to England and try to get a new version of the band going. And that brings us to this album here.

The classic Misunderstood had been an R&B band gone psychedelic. They wrote songs that were actually more like the sounds of ’68, they were so advanced. But this line-up was pieced together in order to try to capitalize on the previous band’s good name. Campbell brought over singer Steve Hoard whom he had known in one of his previous bands before The Misunderstood. A new band was assembled and a recording session plus live performances were scheduled. The problem for this new line up was that The Misunderstood had become a potentially up and coming hit maker in 1966 as a heavy psychedelic band with R&B roots. Now the psychedelic peak had passed and thanks to Led Zeppelin there was a renewed interest in the blues. The (new) Misunderstood recorded an album of eight songs, five of which were distinctly blues-based songs with Campbell’s steel guitar solos and Hoard’s blue-eyed soul singing. There’s some sax and piano lurking on the album as well. It’s not bad music at all but it’s certainly not metal.

Two tracks “Keep On Running” and “I’m Cruising” feature more heavier distorted guitar and can more realistically be considered within the parameters of 1969 proto-metal. However, it’s the title track that is the real point of proto-metal interest. The song was recorded in the studio live, entirely ad-lib. The management and label said they wanted a psychedelic song and that was all. Campbell began playing something on his distorted steel guitar and the others, vocalist Hoard as well, just followed. Lyrically the song is a bit lame but musically it is quite a monster. Campbell lays out some ultra-heavy riff early in the song and plays some wild steel guitar while the drums and bass deliver a very solid heavy psych backing. Hoard’s rough-edged soul voice becomes darker here as he sings an impromptu ode to his glass of whisky. Though not a song for the mainstream airwaves, the heavy and dark guitar riff could have inspired Black Sabbath had they heard it.

Management had the band touring the local circuit and members became disenchanted with they way things were being handled. The Misunderstood soon fell apart again though not for the last time. This album here has some decent music, though I honestly think the band should have begun with a different name. If you want to check it out at all, it’s available on iTunes.