Is it technically a re-issue if the album never saw the light of day. That is what we have here with the album ‘Back Jack’ by the band Back Jack. As a band, they only ever released a 45 single back in the early 70’s. Back Jack was around from about 1970-1975 on various different names. These recording compiled by RidingEasy Records are the bulk of their output and recorded around 1974-1975. The vinyl only has 8 tracks while streaming has 13. The vinyl only includes the best recordings as the others weren’t the best quality sounding tracks, however, still great.
For some of these tracks, Back Jack consisted of Kim McKinney on bass, Hans Myers on drums and Mike Collier on guitar and lead vocals. The rest included a slightly different line-up though still Mike and Kim, you also get Jeff Ballew on guitar and Mike Lusher now on drums and that is the line-up pictured on the front cover. The name Back Jack came from Kim McKinney whose dad was running for mayor and the bumber stick said “Back Jack” for Mayor…and thus the name change from the original name of Trellis.
They were out of Missouri and are a heavy rock band with some psych elements. Over on Rate Your Music, A Rider in the Storm described there as music as follows…“The music is like if Blue Oyester Cult and Lynyrd Skynyrd had a child, and said child was raised by Grand Funk and Led Zeppelin with Uncle Poobah and named Back Jack!”. I think that about sums them up. You can get the full story of the band on the album insert pictured above. The flip side had the lyrics to the songs. The version I have is from Noble Records which was limited to only 300 copies and on Orange translucent vinyl that matches the orange in the cover. Great color coordination!!
SIDE A:
The opening track “Bridge Waters Dynamite” is as explosive as it sounds. The guitars strike the match, the bass lights the fuse and drums are the boom to the destructive sound that is released through your speakers. Musically, this song is a masterpiece of heavy rock form the mid-70’s. I love the little bass solo before the guitars slice through your ears. And to top if all off, Mike’s vocals are so rock & roll and can hold up against anyone from that era. How does a band that sounds like this not get discovered? It is a total mystery.
Then comes “Reefer Madness” with a whole Steppenwolf vibe to it. More racing guitars and such a killer groove to it. No tripping here, just bombastic, hard driving music. Light ’em if you got ’em. “Gearhead” comes thumping at you with a wicked bass line before the guitars and drums come in driving it all home. A classic sounding 70’s highway song as if you are speeding down the road. I bet you they can’t drive 55 either.
“Satisfied Man” ends the A Side and it slows things down with a sludgy sound, almost metal feel to it. And damn, the guitars are brilliant. This 8+ minute journey is one hell of a ride. Mike’s vocals on this one are some of his best on the whole album. So controlled, and so freaking fantastic. His delivery is spot on. Another song that blows my mind how they were so overlooked. About half way through, the tempo kicks up a little and then sludgy again with some more stunning guitar work. This song just gets better and better with each listen and those 8 minutes fly by as you are engulfed in its shining light. And when it is done, you are a satisfied man (unless you are a woman then a satisfied woman).
SIDE B:
Side B opens with “Assault And Battery” and get ready to rock as this one is straight up rock & roll. Hell yeah!! It is an “assault and batter with electric guitars” as the song states. And that is no lie. A catchy ass chorus and some damn fine guitar playing with a killer rhythm section brings you one of the most fun tracks on the whole album. Turn it up and let it loose.
“As You Were” is another fast driving rocker. A little muddied in sound and not as full as the other tracks, but I like the style and vibe of this one. Messy, but cool too! Then with “Tomorrow”, they take a more serious tone, slow things down and it all feels a little ominous. Mike gives it his all vocally and the band does as well. An interesting, darker feel to the rest of the album and when it around the 4 minute mark it gets nasty with the pounding, military style drums then some wicked guitar work. Takes the song to another level.
The final track on the vinyl is “California” and it does have that California vibe to it. It is more laid back with some Eagle’s elements and just gives you that whole West Coast style. Mike belts out “California” and it sounds awesome. Musically, the guys feel more mellow yet the playing is still magnificent and inviting. A nice change of pace with these last two songs which definitely keep things interesting and show us the range of the band. Again, how does talent like this get missed? A mystery.
What can you say about this, but Wow! A totally undiscovered band with the exception of one 45 they released way back in the 70’s. To finally see them get the recognition they deserved after 50 years is pretty freaking cool. I probably should’ve had this as one of My Favorites of 2024 show on YouTube as it is totally brilliant from beginning to end. If you like 70’s hard rock, then this should be right up your alley. The guitar work, the drum fills, the bass lines and the vocals are all top notch and will leave you wanting more with each listen. And if you want more, go stream the other 5 tracks available too!! My Overall Score is 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars. It isn’t quite perfection, but it is pretty damn close. This will be on repeat for awhile now as I am really enjoying this one!!
