Various Artists
Brown Acid – The Twentieth Trip
RidingEasy Records [2025]
“The long-running Brown Acid series reaches its twentieth volume and shows no signs of slowing down!”
When Permanent Records founder Lance Barresi hooked up with Daniel Hall from RidingEasy Records to release the first Brown Acid compilation back in 2015, he didn’t expect it to last more than a couple of additional volumes. Ten years later we’ve reached the twentieth installment in the series, and if anything, the releases keep getting better. Collecting obscure tracks from “the American comedown era,” each Brown Acid album acts as a snapshot of the late 60s and early 70s underground rock scene. Zeroing in on hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal, the series documents the influence bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath had on bands across the U.S. (and a few further-flung locales).
Like the other nineteen entries, The Twentieth Trip contains ten tracks that fell between the music industry cracks, having originally been released on private-press 45s and hyper-rare LPs. “Cookbook” by Iowa band Afterflash is a Cream-influenced rocker that opens the proceedings with some spooky whispered vocals. “Have You Ever Been There? (Has Estado Ahi)” by Mexico’s Polvo is one of the rare non-U.S. songs in the series, a track that alternates between quieter, almost folk-rock passages and blown-out riffs. Hot Candy’s “Darkened Passage” follows, an energetic proto-punk track with some sloppily great guitar solos and moody keyboard passages. One of the true highlights of the set is “Suck You In” by Banana Bros, which sounds like a zanier ZZ Top if you cloned Billy Gibbons for some blistering dual guitar leads. “Thank You For The Ride” by The Jordan Brothers closes side A with an anthemic track that features shouted harmony vocals over a chunky riff.
Side B opens with the trippy and heavy “Watch ‘Em Shine” by Osage Lute, a band with connections to Brown Acid alumni Back Jack and Parchment Farm. Sandy Torano and The Nimo Spliff crank up the fuzz for “A Year Ago Today,” which sounds like a lost Nuggets track, while Lazy Day’s “Don’t Dance In My Song” marries a militaristic drum beat to organ flourishes and a call-and-response chorus. “Hot and Tot Woman” by Illinois band Flavor chugs along with hard rock swagger and gruff vocals before side B closes out with Frozen Sun’s appropriately named “Jamm Pt. 1,” a groovy instrumental that features some effects-laden guitar solos over a hypnotic, driving rhythm section.
Needless to say, if you’re already a fan then The Twentieth Trip is one you’ll definitely want to add to your constantly-growing Brown Acid stack. If you’re new to the series, it’s a great place to start—but really, you could say that about any of the other nineteen volumes too. Either way, drop the needle, crank up your stereo, and rock out to ten more slabs of heavy rock heaven. Here’s to twenty more trips!
BROWN ACID LINKS
Bandcamp | RidingEasy Records
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