BOOMERANG – Boomerang
Although you might at first think that Boomerang were an Australian band, they are in fact American, being formed by organist Mark Stein after the break-up of his previous outfit Vanilla Fudge. They released their only album in 1971 and then broke up after its lack of success, which is rather strange, as it is actually quite a good hard rock album. Right from the start you can hear that gone are the overblown arrangements and instrumental histrionics of the Fudge, but kept are Stein’s expertise on the organ and good rock vocal technique. ‘Juke It’ is a great opener, being a fantastic hard rocker with great organ and guitar. ‘Fisherman’ is taken slower, but is still an emotive song, and ‘Hard Times’ has some good backwards guitar effects on a powerful ballad. ‘Mockingbird’ is a rocked up version of the old Charles and Inez Foxx classic, with a stunning guitar solo from 16 year old Richard Ramirez, and whereas Vanilla Fudge would have piled on layer upon layer of sound, Boomerang strip it down and turn it into a bluesy rocker. ‘Cynthia Fever’ is a riff heavy tune which Stein underpins with some thumping Hammond organ, before the moods changes for ‘Brother’s Comin’ Home’ - a moving tribute to returning war veterans, given an added poignancy with the understated use of strings throughout. This rather short album then closes with ‘The Peddler’, and goes out with a bang on another great rocking tune. With some of Stein’s best organ-work on display. I am quite surprised at this album’s lack of success, as I have heard many, many records worse than this, and they also had the added attraction of a member of a hugely popular rock band in their ranks, and the debut of a truly amazing 16 year old guitarist in Richard Ramirez, so you would think that it should have sold more copies than it did. Luckily it has been saved from obscurity by this CD re-issue, and so we can now hear for ourselves and decide whether it was unfairly overlooked thirty five years ago.