(Blues-Rock | Funk-Rock) Hardware (Buddy Miles, Bootsy Collins, Stevie Salas) - Third Eye Open - 1992, MP3, 320 kbps

When the album was first released in Japan on the Polystar label, the band was called the Third Eye and the name of the album was "Hardware". When the album secured distribution in the U.S., it was found that another band had owned the title "The Third Eye". To avoid any further legal hassles, it was opted that the title of the album and the title of band would simply be switched, thus the name of the band would be Hardware and the title of the album became "Third Eye Open".
The clear attraction of this, yet another Bill Laswell 90's era ex-Parliament mutation here, is funk giants Bootsy Collins and Buddy Miles together, who come right out the gate on "Got A Feelin'" with such ferocious groove and laid-back bad intent, the rest of the album can't possibly hope to compete.
Even if you don't dig the vibe of this album, Buddy is going to get your attention for sure right around 0:45 of this lost Band of Gypsies track.
All three musicians are magnificent here, "Sugah Bear" Miles wailing like a banshee, Bootsy and Salas driving it HARD and then bringing the song back into a nice little blues jam at the end, which Stevie proceeds to slowly chew to pieces, like a hungry blues bobcat.
There are two clear Bootsy-dominated tracks, the slinky space sounds on "Hard Look," and the hard funk of "Leakin" where Collins also takes a vocal turn.
Revisiting this album after a few years, its clear that Salas is the underappreciated element here. A well-traveled player who does not have nearly the pedigree of his bandmates, he nonethess holds his own, providing a very low-key presence and driving these monster funk excursions with sure-footed riffing, sweet Hendrixy tones, and respectful, low-key solos. Elsewhere he does a nice Electric Ladyland impersenation on "500 Years".
Producer Bill Laswell and Salas's mix is nice and raw, especially around the kit, with some trademark Laswell psychadelic touches. Just for good measure there, Gary Mudbone Cooper, and George Clinton add some vocal touches.
Fans of Hendrix, any incarnation or refraction of P-Funk, and driving soulful hard rock are going to want to give this a listen. If you're lucky enough to find a copy of this out-of-print gem, don't even think about it, just buy it. And crank it !!
Personnel :
Stevie Salas - guitars, vocals (Co-producer)
Bootsy Collins - space bass, vocals (Parliament,Funkadelic)
Buddy Miles - drums, fuzz bass, vocals
Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Bernard Fowler, George Clinton - background vocals
David Friendly, Vince McClean, Matt Stein - digital bollocks
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This album rocks hard and it is ridiculous that it went by largely unnoticed by the rock community at large. Guitarist Steve Salas is great and really screams. Produced by Bill Laswell, there is an interesting mixture of hard rock, funk and some freaky experimental textures. Overall the songwriting is strong -- strong enough to have gotten some radio play on any progressive rock station ("But oh, wait. They're Black and Native American. Only white guys play rock. We don't know what to do with this.") Play it you morons! Oh, poor ignorant radio, one of the last bastions of segregation in America. "Walls Came Down" is a great song which applies to that situation quite well.
Definitely has a Band of Gypsys vibe combined with Funkadelic, but with some slightly pop-edged songs (in a good way.)
Salas' vocals are also very strong.
Overall this is a solid release worthy of attention.
For me, the best part of this disc is hearing Bootsy just jammin out on some balls-out rock n roll. You know him & Buddy had a good time making this. I was hoping they'd tour and/or do a follow-up but no go as of yet... Oh well. (I can dream can't I?)
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The group was originally known as Third Eye, and that's the way the 1993 Japanese CD reads, but before they released the CD in the US, it was discovered that another group had that name and was ready to sue. This was one of the first Black Arc releases, produced by Bill Laswell. It revives the 'supergroup concept' of a hardrocking band based around drums, guitar and bass. The main problem with the whole thing for me is that I don't much care for Stevie Salas. His guitar playing is too bombastic, lacking subtlety and taste. On the other hand, it's great to hear Bootsy doing rock material, a side that was never properly explored when he joined Funkadelic. Because Salas is essentially a one-trick pony, all of the songs start to sound alike, with only some Bootsy variations keeping it afloat. The few rhythm-dominated songs are the best here, as there is simply too much emphasis on guitar otherwise. With Bootsy and Buddy Miles, there's no way that the album should have been this unfunky.
"I Got A Feeling" shows the album's problems in a nutshell. The drums and bass are solid, but the loud guitar overwhelms them, and Salas' vocals are also rather dull. It does eventually evolve into this weird Hendrixian breakdown, with Bootsy rapping and a mighty bass groove forming. "Waiting On You" sounds almost like a Led Zeppelin song that does have some good singing. It also evolves into something fairly funky, with space bass dominating and Salas playing a decently funky guitar lick. "What's Goin' Down" also echoes Hendrix, with backwards guitar ala "Are You Experienced." "Love Obsession" is a slow song with more solid bass playing, and good vocals from Miles. It was good to hear a song not going at a zillion miles per hour, although there was nothing extraordinary about this one. "Hard Look" is probably the best song here, with more restrained guitar playing and interesting lyrics. "Shake It" is the obligatory funk rock number, with Bootsy very noticable on vocals. The drumming is excellent here, and the guitar sounds more disciplined, interacting more with the bass instead of just playing over it. "The Walls Came Down" is another slow tune that sounds like pure heavy metal. "500 Years" is a better mid-tempo tune with good vocals and a decent riff. "Tell Me" is another heavy metal ballad. "Leakin'" is a very funky cut driven by Bootsy's bass and vocals. The bassline recalls "Cosmic Slop" a bit, slightly turned around. The guitar slices in well here, cutting up big riffs and turning it up during the solos. The main solo is also more interesting than others on the albums, hitting the feedback.