Psychedelic Resurrection
The Blues Magoos
Label: Kayos
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Review Date: October 19, 2014

The eldest siblings in the baby boomer demographic who were into new and progressive music were, no doubt, turned on by a band out of the Bronx called the Blues Magoos. Their massive Top 5 single, “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet,” from their hit debut album, “Psychedelic Lollipop,” was all the rage. The song wound up going to #21 on the Billboard Top 200.

The group disbanded in 1971 but have now regrouped and are returning with a brand spankin’ new CD – their first studio recording four decades. The disc entitled, “Psychedelic Resurrection,” and offers up some great, new music from the groundbreaking group.

Original members, lead vocalist/keyboardist Ralph Scala and vocalist/guitarist Peppy Castro, along with drummer Geoff Daking, who joined prior to the recording of the band’s hit debut album, are joined by newest additions, Mike Ciliberto on guitar and Peter Stuart Kohlman on bass. The album also features appearances by original bassist Ronnie Gilbert and lead guitarist Mike Esposito, who also became part of the band before releasing their debut album.

“Resurrection” is a psychedelic treasure chest full of twelve songs that have Blues Magoos sonic fingerprints all over them. After listening to the disc, fans will painfully wish that the band had been around for the last forty-something years making music just like this.

Three randomly selected Boomerocity favorites from “Psychedelic Resurrection” are:

• The title cut (which happens to be the first tune) is a mesmerizing rocker that will give long time a musical flashback that will be initiate a flashback down memory lane. This tune has got to sound amazing when performed live.

• “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet” is a great re-recording of the band’s original hit and is selected as a salute to what made them great all those years ago. It still has the punch today that it did when the song hit the airwaves.

• “I Just Got Off From Work” grabs you with the title and hooks you musically. One can easily imagine hearing this song blaring from cars across the country over 40 years ago and makes you glad that you were alive then and now.

If you want an album full of mostly new music that pleasantly takes you back to a time when things were much, much simpler, “Psychedelic Resurrection” is just the album to flash you back in time.