Horse Head Vinyl...Dig and Spin: "The Snake" - Harvey Mandel (1972)

"The Snake" Harvey Mandel (1972)
blues rock, jazz blues, psych blues
5th album. Gatefold.
On Janus Records (brown, orange)
9 tracks

Horse Head Vinyl..."Dig and Spin" (#3)

I didn't dislike this record.  The music is good.  Mostly instrumental jazzy-blues rock.  Songs segue nicely from one to the next.  And there's a light dusting of psych-blues (if that's a thing)  Very light...and appreciated when you hear it.  But it's an album, when, after you play it that first time, you realize that nothing really stood out.
Don't misunderstand.  It's not boring.  But it took a few spins before the music started to speak to me.  A grower!

"The Snake" - Harvey Mandel (back cover)

Janus Records label

I wasn't familiar with Harvey Mandel when I picked this record up.
But I discovered that this guitarist has a pretty solid smack of cred.
Two things immediately made me smile upon learning more about Mandel.

1) He performed with Canned Heat at Woodstock. And later made three albums with them.
2) During the brief period that Mick Taylor left the Stones and Ron Wood was handed the crown,
Mandel was asked to audition and went on to record two tracks..."Hot Stuff" and "Memory Motel"... for their 1976  "Black and Blue" album.

He didn't get the job, (for whatever reason) but sure left a nice calling card.  That's just cool beans!

"The Snake" - Harvey Mandel (inside gatefold)

For Cherry-Pickers:
"Uno Ino"...should have been the opening track.  Cool vocals, Hip lyrics. In and out before you know it.
"Levitation"...has a bit of flute trippage...and I'm a sucker for bandcamp.  The guitar comes in later to talk to it.  Lost gem.
"Pegasus"...Mandel's guitar is easy to warm up to on this groovy and catchy little journey.  Dig it.

(btw...the album design was courtesy of "sassy" Phil Hartmann. (sp)
And I don't know for sure, but I think the back cover might have better served the front.
The portrait of Harvey Mandel sporting a "lego" haircut is just...weird.

TRACKLIST
A1.  "The Divining Rod" - 3:04
A2.  "Pegasus" - 3:30
A3.  "Lynda Love" - 2:45
A4.  "Peruvian Flake" - 3:31
A5.  "The Snake" - 3:15
B1.  "Uno Ino" - 2:34
B2.  "Ode to the Owl" - 2:42
B3.  "Levitation" - 5:14
B4.  "Bite the Electric Eel" - 4:15

"Uno Ino" - Harvey Mandel / "The Snake" (1972)


PERSONNEL:

  • Harvey Mandel - lead guitar, vocals 
  • Victor Conte - bass
  • Randy Resnik - rhythm guitar
  • Paul Lagos - drums
  • Don "Sugarcane Harris - strings
  • Others...
Good stuff.


Casey Chambers
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