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A Raw Look at Sir Lord Baltimore

Posted in Buried Treasure on February 15th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Is it possible to want your money back when you got an album for free? This is the question I was asking myself after picking up ’70s proto-metallers Sir Lord Baltimore‘s semi-reunion semi-album III: Raw at the Second Saturday Record Show in Wayne, NJ, over the weekend. The disc, with an inkjet cover, was in a bin of $3 albums, and when I took it up to make my purchase, I was told to just take it. In retrospect, the dude who gave it to me must have listened to it.

And in retrospect, he should have given me $3 to take it off his hands.

III: Raw has six tracks on it originally written in the ’70s for a Sir Lord Baltimore album that never materialized. Vocalist John Garner — who produced the album and seems to be in charge of preserving the band’s legacy — and guitarist Louis Dambra got back together in 2006 to record and self-release the tunes, and while I’m loath to rip on bands who put out their own stuff, as a matter of principle, I have to say, wow, this is really bad.

Garner can sing. Dambra can play. No doubt about either of those, but the songs on III: Raw sound, rather than raw, like they were reaching out for some kind of production value and falling short. Honestly, if the two players and bassist Tony Franklin recorded these songs to an analog 4-track live in Garner‘s garage on Staten Island, they might at least live up to the name of the record. “(Gonna) Fill the World with Fire” and “Wild White Horses” feel overly put together, but like they were put together with Elmer’s because no cement was available.

And Garner, who also plays drums, is also really, really into Jesus. Gosh he likes Jesus. The lyrics to “Love Slave” reminded me of that episode of South Park where Cartman tries to go platinum and ends up myrrh with his sexualized god rock. I understand Sir Lord Baltimore has developed a cult following over the years because they were there when metal was just forming, but they probably would have been fine leaving their legacy alone with the Kingdom Come and Sir Lord Baltimore albums. They certainly didn’t do themselves any favors here.

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