First Step Beyond

Numero Group’s vinyl issue of this lost heavy psych gem features a velvet sleeve as fuzzy as the music within. Similar to Pentagram’s First Daze Here collection, the sonic fidelity of these previously unreleased demos could be considered rustic at best. It’s the exact kind of recording one hopes to unvcover in a drummer’s basement. If you’re in the mood for some raw 70s weirdness in the same orbit as Sabbath and Amon Duul II, look no further than these Chicagoan longhairs. Although the vocals aren’t embarrassing, the best track is the one without: the 10 minute “Transient Amplitude,” which prefigures Earthless by quite a few light-years.