C.A. Quintet - 1969 - Trip Thru Hell

C.A. Quintet

1969

Trip Thru Hell

01. Trip Thru Hell (Part I) 9:00

02. Colorado Mourning 2:10

03. Cold Spider 4:38

04. Underground Music 4:39

05. Sleepy Hollow Lane 1:37

06. Smooth As Silk 2:12

07. Trip Thru Hell (Part II) 3:30

Backing Vocals – Toni Crocket

Bass, Vocals – Jimmy Erwin

Guitar, Vocals – Tom Pohling

Keyboards, Vocals – Doug (Beaver) Reynolds

Percussion – Rick Patron

Trumpet, Vocals, Producer – Ken Erwin

The C.A. Quintet’s journey to Hades burned hot enough to melt the ice in their frigid Minnesota environs. A coveted collectable since the psychedelic record collecting disaster whirl first started over 30 years ago, Trip Thru Hell (1968) is rightly regarded as the epitome of local psych-cum-garage rising above its humble roots into something truly monolithic. Evolving from the local circuit into a hellish beast of keyboards, lysergic lyrics, trippy guitars and even subtle trumpet parts, the C.A. Quintet’s vision of the netherworld glowed in flaming orange, red and yellow as their instincts took over. Kicking off with the chilling psychedelicized keyboard-led instrumental title track, the album singes the psyche of the listener with an array of atmospheric beelzefuzz on “Colorado Mourning,” sitar-like solos intertwining with fuzz and horns on “Underground Music,” and the more benevolent Lucifer on “Smooth As Silk,” which swirls with keys and harmony vocals to underscore a brilliant melody. Mortals dare not venture to the sinister realm of the “Cold Spider” and especially not “Sleepy Hollow Lane,” a mistier place than even the Chocolate Watchband could dream of visiting.

There's not much to compare this album to, even in the weird musical climate of 1968 -- there are echoes of Country Joe & The Fish and the Doors, perhaps, in the mysterioso organ and morbid imagery. Not that Ken Erwin was in the same league as Jim Morrison, or even Country Joe, as a songwriter. But (with the exception of the brassy good-time cut "Underground Music"), psychedelia was very rarely this dementedly gloomy. Occasional pealing bells and curdling screams (to say nothing of the Boschlike cover art) add to the foggy underworld menace. Reissued without authorization in Europe in the 1980s, the 1995 domestic CD is a first-class job: the 12 bonus cuts gather some rare non-LP singles, alternate takes, and previously unreleased songs, and the liner notes feature extensive interviews with Ken Erwin and engineer Steve Longman.

One of the absolute pillars of American psychedelia, this is an album that wasn't really supposed to happen, but some fancy footwork on bandleader Erwin's part got the record made and released. I was intrigued the very first time I heard this, thanks to user Heratius, and have since gone out and acquired the real thing (and yes, it DOES sound slightly different to virtually every reissue I've heard, including the Sundazed issue. But not to say Sundazed's version isn't just fine either, because it's close enough to be equally as enjoyable. I'll certainly recommend that, as it has a ton of bonus mat'l that is almost as essential as the LP itself). I was initially slightly put off by the inclusion of some brass on this, as I never really like it, and only tolerate it if the rest of the record makes it worth it. But it turns out that there is only one trumpet, and not a whole brass section, and this is actually done tastefully, adding to the album's uniqueness. The C A Quintet were a garage band, and though they had released a few earlier singles, the garage flavor still shines through on this album, not to mention the incredible psychedelic overtones. I usually don't like to gush over great albums too much, in an effort to not get future listener's expectations too high, but I have faith in this LP's ability to deliver.