A decade before hitting the charts with the early ’80s AOR group Franke & the Knockouts (“Sweetheart”), soulful singer Frankie Previte was fronting the upstate NY band Bull Angus, an unjustly overlooked six-piece hard rock group that released two solid albums on Mercury Records.
Their 1971 self-titled debut is the heavier and better of the two, filled with jammy, slightly jazzy, progressive-tinged hard rock not unlike a mix of Uriah Heep, Grand Funk Railroad, and the harder tunes of Spirit. There’s really not a bad cut on Bull Angus, but favorites include hard rockin’ single “Run Don’t Stop”, the far-out “Uncle Duggie’s Fun Bus Ride”, “Miss Casey”, and the cleverly-titled closer “No Cream for the Maid”. Produced by Vinny Testa, with stereo separation for the band’s two guitarists, the record’s unipack gatefold artwork is quite cool as well.
1971 – Bull Angus – 320 Kbps – 42:38
01 – Run Dont Stop 00:04:27
02 – Mothers favourite Lover (Marg 00:03:47
03 – Uncle Dugies Fun Bus Ride 00:04:28
04 – A Time Like Ours 00:06:25
05 – Miss Casey 00:07:33
06 – Pot of Gold 00:04:02
07 – CY 00:05:11
08 – No Cream For the Mad 00:06:45
*reissue – 2010
1972 – Free For All – 160 Kbps – 38:54
01 – Lone Stranger 00:06:52
02 – City Boy 00:06:51
03 – Loving Till End 00:05:42
04 – Savoy Truffle 00:03:22
05 – Drivin’ Me Wild 00:04:46
06 – (We’re The) Children Of Our Deeds 00:05:35
07 – Train Woman Lee 00:05:47
Line-up/Musicians:
Geno Charles (drums, percussion)
Larry LaFalce (guitar, vocals)
Dino Paolillo (guitar, vocals)
Frankie Previte (vocals, recorder, percussion)
Ron Piccolo (organ, piano, vocals)
Lenni Venditti (bass)