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Non-Prog CD Reviews

White Witch

A Spiritual Greeting

Review by Gary Hill

Released in the early `70`s this album has recently been reissued on CD. Long a cult classic band, White Witch combined hard rock with prog elements and a sense of mystery. Another part of the band's charm was a bit of naiveté. Featuring the song "Class of 2000", this one should be a pretty obvious choice for listening to in the New Year. The only complaint about this band is that the high pitched vocals could be a bit whiny at times.

White Witch was Ron Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass, Buddy Richardson, Bobby Shea, Bill Peterson and Charlie Souza.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: The Early Years Volume 4 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-The-Early-Years.

Track by Track Review
We'll All Ride High (Money Bag$)
Starting with piano, the first verse is strictly vocals added to that instrument. After this verse, a funky, rather quirky jam erupts leading to a wonderfully textured groove. This strong tune combines classic `70`s styled rock sounds with a fairly complex arrangement and very catchy, hook-laden chorus. This one is actually quite progish at times.

Slick Witch
A hard-edged, groove-oriented cut, this one is a bit bouncy and has a little country twang to it, rather in the vein of southern rock. It does contain a break with some very nice vocal interplay.
Walk On
Kind of a basic mellow rock cut, this one has a great texture and strong jam segment.
Class of 2000
A progish sci-fi cut, based heavily on acoustic guitar, this one covers quite a lot of musical territory. The title should certainly be of interest, considering the date, but the lyrics are a bit dated and naive by today's standards. "Class of 2000, We were wearing silver suits that year, Mum's hair was slick, she looked like a rooster, and Dad's was way past his rear."
Showdown
Considerably progish, this one is also bouncy and fun. It contains a highly funky break and nice vocal arrangement.
Crystallize and Realize
Crystallize is solid prog that has a texture quite a bit like Yes and old Genesis. It is nicely trippy, and features science fiction based lyrics. "Hop inside my rocket ship, And quickly we'll disperse, We've a jolly way to go, To find the universe"

Black Widow Lover
This cut is quite competent solid rock and roll in a moderate tempo.
Auntie Christie/Harlow
The beginning section showing elements of both prog and metal, this is a powerful cut that talks about the anti-Christ. The lyrics include several direct quotations from the Bible. The Harlow segment of this one has a more straightforward rock approach, and serves as a strong resolution to the piece, and the album.

  
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