Singles reviews

We don't usually cover 7-inch singles in High Bias, but a couple of folks sent some to us, and it seemed a shame to let them sit and gather dust, so here we go:

MASTICA
"Uomini" + "Seemo Chi Spara"
(Crusher)
From Italy with acid: Mastica groove on all manner of psychedelic rock on this 7-inch. "Uomini" pushes its melodic grunge into the outer limits, while "Seemo Chi Spara" lets rip like the band mainlined Nuggets and Steppenwolf records right before the session. Though both songs are sung in Mastica's native language, I'd swear at one point singer Mad exclaims "Psych all day!" Too which I can only add: amen, brother. Michael Toland

MAZEY GARDENS & THE BRICK HIT HOUSE BAND
"Callin' in Dead"
(Ambassador/Rudyland)
Allegedly recorded in 1972 (and with the no-frills analog production sound, it might very well have been), "Callin' in Dead" is a C&W ditty about being hungover that walks a fine line between parody and straightfaced tunesmithery—that doesn't realize it's parody. The flip is nothing more than an instrumental version of the same tune. Sure to be a hit in whichever truckstops along the highway still carry such things in their jukeboxes. Michael Toland