All members of Bloodrock, (this would be the first four LPs) it was a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Right before they wrote and recorded Bloodrock 3, Lee Pickens left the band, as Jim Rutledge brought in John Nitzinger to replace him. Nitzinger was Bloodrock's main songwriter, but when it came to replacing Lee as the lead guitarist it didn't work. Rick Cobb lll said "it did not gel with Nit, Pickens was missed". So they asked Lee if he would come back, which he did. My point is -- take one member out, it doesn't work. They had a great sound with everyone onboard. As far as why did Rolling Stone Panned their LPs, most of the writers didn't care for Hard Rock. Rolling Stone did a few articles on Bloodrock, one covering one of their live gigs and it was positive. I loved the first 4 and even thought the Passages and WT were ok. I think Lee Pickens should be in the top 100 great solos of the 70's for his solo on Breach of Lease. USA is my favorite, but the first 4 are all great!
I'd never heard of them and I've only listened to the first song on the first album. It sounds very much of its time, sure, but it's good. Is "garage metal" a genre? That's what it sounds like to me. Why does Rolling Stone hate them so much?
Thanks for reading my post! I don't know why Rolling Stone hates them, but I do think they've always had a lot of bias in their reviews and ratings, especially for bands not on either coast or from the UK.
All members of Bloodrock, (this would be the first four LPs) it was a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Right before they wrote and recorded Bloodrock 3, Lee Pickens left the band, as Jim Rutledge brought in John Nitzinger to replace him. Nitzinger was Bloodrock's main songwriter, but when it came to replacing Lee as the lead guitarist it didn't work. Rick Cobb lll said "it did not gel with Nit, Pickens was missed". So they asked Lee if he would come back, which he did. My point is -- take one member out, it doesn't work. They had a great sound with everyone onboard. As far as why did Rolling Stone Panned their LPs, most of the writers didn't care for Hard Rock. Rolling Stone did a few articles on Bloodrock, one covering one of their live gigs and it was positive. I loved the first 4 and even thought the Passages and WT were ok. I think Lee Pickens should be in the top 100 great solos of the 70's for his solo on Breach of Lease. USA is my favorite, but the first 4 are all great!
Hi Keith,
Thanks for reading my post about "Bloodrock" and for your insightful comments. It's nice to meet another "Bloodrock" fan here on substack!
Welcome Jim!
I'd never heard of them and I've only listened to the first song on the first album. It sounds very much of its time, sure, but it's good. Is "garage metal" a genre? That's what it sounds like to me. Why does Rolling Stone hate them so much?
Hi Sherman,
Thanks for reading my post! I don't know why Rolling Stone hates them, but I do think they've always had a lot of bias in their reviews and ratings, especially for bands not on either coast or from the UK.
Wonderful piece. For some reason I missed these guys and DOA. I'll check it out later. Thanks.
Great article. I didn’t know about them.
Thanks for reading! They were a great 70's band, now sadly mostly forgotten.