Jerusalem: Jerusalem

When I reviewed the album Cooler Than Antarctica in 2016 by the band Jerusalem here on this very webzine, their one-time bassist Paul Dean added comments below my thoughts (and those of others in the SoT team) questioning the validity of the release, or at least that it arrived under the name Jerusalem… here we are some 6 years later, and yet some 45 years prior, with the self-titled debut from this band.

Confused? Well, that’s because this self titled debut from Jerusalem, a band at the time featuring Bob Cooke on guitars, Lynden William on vocals (who featured on the aforementioned Cooler Than Antarctica), Bill Hinde on second guitar, Ray Sparrow on drums and percussion, and yes, Paul Dean on bass, was originally released in 1971 on Deram Records, resplendent with a production from none other than Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame, who also managed the band.

Unfortunately, at the time, Jerusalem never made the breakthrough they hoped for, with their album slowly gaining mythical status over the intervening years and all number of less than legitimate releases. Putting aside all of the above ‘politics’, that’s the real shame here, because this five-some made a hell of an exciting racket, pulling from, as expected, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, but also a little Atomic Rooster and maybe even King Crimson. The first 9 tracks on this reissue are the album proper, spruced up, but as it was back in ’71 and mighty is the grooving Heep thump of “Midnight Steamer� or “Frustration�, which bears an at times frightening resemblance to Purple’s “Fireball�, which was released the same year…

Add in the irresistible thrum of “Hooded Eagle�, which hammers home with real intent, and the barely in control “She Came Like A Bat From Hell�, and why this album didn’t receive more notice when it was originally released is anyone’s guess. However, for my money, as a result we lost a band with clear, obvious and huge potential, although it would be fair to suggest that the influences on show are very clearly there for all to see and hear.

Five bonus tracks have also been included here, with the band’s single only “Kamikaze Moth� drawing you straight into its flame, William’s vocals possessing real character, while Cooke’s guitars lock in tight with the rhythm section of Dean and Sparrow, and do not let go. The other four cuts are 2009 re-workings of three albums tracks and “Kamikaze Moth� featuring William and Cooke as they rearranged and updated their music’s sound. The results land, for me, somewhere between the NWOBHM outfit Hell, Saracen, latter day Uriah Heep and Led Zeppelin, and while all four are really pretty excellent, they do close this release out in a flavour that only really hints at the original band from which they came. On a purely personal note I’d wish they’d been on a separate disc, because there’s no doubting their excellence, but they create a real disconnect following on from the original versions.

That minute niggle aside, having the opportunity to finally own a fantastic sounding version of this underground classic is a genuine pleasure. This is an album anyone with even a passing interest in the beginnings of the 70s heavy rock scene should have amongst their collection.

Track Listing
1. Frustration
2. Hooded Eagle
3. I See The Light
4. Murderer’s Lament
5. When The Wolf Sits
6. Midnight Steamer
7. Primitive Man
8. Beyond The Grave
9. She Came Like A Bat From Hell
Bonus Tracks
10. Kamikaze Moth (single)
11. Hooded Eagle (2009 version)
12. Midnight Steamer (2009 version)
13. Kamikaze Moth (2009 version)
14. When The Wolf Sits (2009 version)

Added: November 27th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Jerusalem @ Talking Elephant Records
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Language: english

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