Grin - Gone Crazy (1973) [2014, Universal Music Japan, UICY-76080]

Before he was under the wing of Neil Young and before he made a series of underappreciated solo albums, guitarist Nils Lofgren formed Grin, a trio that was devoted to simple, basic rock & roll, in 1969. None of Grin's albums were commercially successful – they only received good reviews, not sales – but each showed a promising, dynamic group. Unfortunately, the group never fulfilled its potential, but the finest of its albums featured some terse, brilliant guitar from Lofgren that ranks with the best of his later work, highlights later collected on the 1999 retrospective The Very Best of Grin Featuring Nils Lofgren.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

There's something to be said for all four Grin albums, and there are several compilations. But GONE CRAZY is the stepchild: the only Grin album on the A&M label, so represented by only one song on THE VERY BEST OF GRIN; then overshadowed by Nils' solo career on the A&M BEST OF NILS LOFGREN & GRIN.

All good tracks, but both put together still contain only half this album. Which is a shame: GONE CRAZY has some of the best & none of the least aspects of the three earlier Grin releases. Angsty rockers? check. Bluesy piano? check. Sensitive introspection to stand-on-the-table singalongs? Well, yes! In several ways, GONE CRAZY seems to summarize the band's career – even reusing an earlier riff. But so what? They were stealing from the Stones ("Ain't For Free" has Bob doing a wonderful Jagger ripoff), why not themselves – they had such great energy and enthusiasm, the only thing that mattered was how good it sounded.

And it did. GONE CRAZY came closest to representing the power of their concerts. Bob Berberich's bluesy crow highlights three great performances here, showing him to be Nils' Jagger-ish counterpart. Bob's obvious delight sells us in "Ain't For Free", and gives a different plaintive quality to "Nightmare" or "What About Me" – closer to Steven Tyler really, but with his own quality, and Nils' guitar dances & stings around Bob's vocal.

And of course there's "Beggars Day" – soon to be covered by their new label mates Nazareth on their one big album HAIR OF THE DOG.

Sure, 1+1 covers more musical territory. I respect that, but personally I don't find Grin at their best with orchestral sweetening. When I want the four-man hitting on all four cylinders, this is the album I reach for most. And there's still Nils' sensitive side in "Believe" and "One More Time".

In summary: No Grin album is perfect, but if you were to get only one, this should be it – even if (or maybe especially if) you've already got the hits compilation(s). After that, you might as well get 'em all; it's your destiny ….

By F. J. PRISCO, amazon