Kak, Kak (side A)

It's not surprising that 1969's Kak is a heavy rock album—the band's frontman Gary Yoder would later join Blue Cheer. Unfortunately the album's engineering, while certainly competent, seems to contain the impact of the drums and guitars, rather than letting the chaos shine through. While there were technical limitations at the time, its impact pales when compared to the work Bruce Botnick and Paul Haeny were doing at Elektra with groups like Love and the Doors. The album itself often shines, especially "Everything's Changing". Yoder's vocal prowess rarely matches his remarkable guitar playing, and the mixes don't flatter his limited vocal palette. While my late-90s vinyl copy appears to be an official reissue (no bootleg would use such an ugly/modern Epic logo on the center sticker), the mastering of low-frequencies is particularly uneven and the packaging looks particularly cheap.