Medusa First Step Beyond LP rare 70s private heavy stoner acid psych rock Numero

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Medusa - First Step Beyond LP vinyl re-issue of this rare 1970's private proto-metal psych record - from limited edition on clear orange wax on Numero Records.   new copy.  deluxe black velvet gatefold cover.  with insert.  hard-to-find and collectible.  own this artifact!

"Had it ever made the leap between tape and wax, First Step Beyond could have forever altered the perception of Chicago’s horn-rock history. Instead, this mish-mash of Sabbath, Hawkwind, and Amon Duul II remained petrified in the Corycian Caverns, or rather the drummer’s basement since 1975. Housed in cushy mock-velvet and screened in blood red and gold, and art directed from the band’s elaborate original stage props and artwork, we have positioned this unreleased opus to finally reach its destination: the turntables of potsmoking teenagers, young and old." -Numero

" The latest offering from the folks at Numero is a forgotten Chicago hard rock band from the mid-1970s, and the first thing you notice is that it comes housed in a stunning faux black velvet sleeve that has a foreboding pentagram embossed in deep blood red and shiny gold.  It is the kind of sleeve that jumps out at you from across the room and commands you to pick it up so you can feel the vibes -- and the vibes are heavy!  It's a big set up even before you get the record on a turntable, but thankfully Medusa deliver the goods with a great mix of Sabbathy songs, and longer jams that show a distinct debt to the more adventurous psychedelic underground stylings of Amon Düül II or Hawkwind.  It sounds great now but it is probably not the sort of stuff that went over well in the cover song fixated bar circuit of the 1970s.  The only thing lacking is a bit of back story, but I bet it goes something like this: hard rock loving misfits form a band and collectively beat their head against a wall of indifference.  They make a recording of their songs that, after the group's break up, sits in a basement for almost 40 years... and the vibes are still heavy!" -DaveMartin

"Unreleased basement protometal from Chicago.  Although the band had it's own homemade backdrop cloth with a goat head & pentagram on it, they put their ballads up front & spend some time ramping up to their guitar histrionics.  At first solos are jazzy & notey, like a homeless man's Eddie Van Halen.  Band gets heavier & more stretched out as they go along, finally achieving the psychedelic monstrosity mark halfway through side 2.  Bizarre echo on the vocals is grand, and the guitar is ballin, & suitably tinny.  Comes in crushed velvet.   Tracklisting: Strangulation, Transient Amplitude, Frustration's Fool, Temptress, Feelings of Indifference, Black Wizard, Unknown Fear."

"Medusa’s First Step Beyond is a fascinating album, but not for the usual reasons an album is picked to be included in this column. If you’re telling yourself, “Geez, I’ve never heard of this before,” don’t feel discouraged. There’s almost a 100 percent possibility nobody else has either. It’s never been released to the general public, originally being recorded and self-produced by the band in the mid ‘70s. It’s finally being shipped out on vinyl and digitally this February, so this Retro Recommendation will be both a review and a retrospective piece.  Other than a few facts brought up in the last paragraph, there is little known about First Step Beyond. Information on the Internet is sparse, save for a short trailer on YouTube and a stream of “Strangulation” on Soundcloud (the link is posted at the bottom of the column). This writer couldn’t even tell you who the members of Medusa are or how long they were around for, only that this is most likely their lone output.

First Step Beyond has its flirtations with metal, though it’s more in vein of spacey prog rock a la Hawkwind. Medusa is a product of their time, so there’s a heavy focus on lengthy jamming. “Transient Amplitude” is nine minutes of pure instrumental folly that will be delightful to those who love guitar solos that never end. “Frustrations Foot” is light on the vocals, trading off guitar leads and intrusive sound effects to further solidify the “floating in outer space” mood.

The metal side of the band comes through with hokey witchcraft imagery on “Black Wizard” and lyrics like “Evil fire burns inside your heart” from the sharp opener “Strangulation.” That tune also has a great riff progression, which is a trait also carried over to “Unknown Fear.” The band doesn’t get very hostile, but these tracks show that they did have a dark side to them that could have been explored in further detail.

Instead, they pour over sappy, one-note ballads like “Temptress” and “Feelings of Indifference,” which would have been overwrought by ‘70s standards. These tracks, right in the middle of the album, completely sap the energy generated by the preceding songs. It takes the band time to get back to that high mark, but “Black Wizard” and “Unknown Fear” are enough to do that.

There is no question that First Step Beyond is dated, and not just because it’s been unreleased for so long. First Step Beyond lacks the timeless sound that is heard from a Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin record. There is well-done material here though, making the album worth at least a glance. For collecting dust for over 35 years before seeing the light of day, First Step Beyond gets the nod for this week’s Retro Recommendation." -DanM

Tracklist ?

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