As detailed in the booklet accompanying the Guerssen label’s new reissue of the sole LP by Samuel Prody, there’s an eventful backstory that precedes the formation of this obscure British band. Rather than recount it all here, it suffices to mention that this four-piece outfit grew out of Giant, a gigging group that briefly featured Viv Prince of the Pretty Things on drums. The sturdiness of Samuel Prody’s material makes this edition, remastered and officially rereleased for the first time, a worthwhile acquisition for hard rock fans. The set is available now on vinyl and compact disc.
Samuel Prody (altered from Samuel Purdy) featured Tony Savva (guitar, bass, lead vocals), John Boswell (drums, vocals), Derek “Morty” Smallcombe (lead guitar, vocals), and Stephen Day (bass, vocals). Once these cats came together, they recorded an LP’s worth of material that was released eponymously only in Germany in 1971, and unbeknownst to the band until much later, after the album had been reissued a few times; originals have sold in the ballpark of $500.
Engineered by noted hard rock specialist Roy Thomas Baker, the contents of Samuel Prody are, when the band gets down to business, legitimately heavy, and the instrumentation is consistently sharp. The band travels down a handful of psychedelic avenues in the record’s less heavy moments, and to largely non-detrimental results, but neither are they particularly adept at getting expansive. But it should be added that all seven tracks on this LP do find the band kicking it into heavy gear, though in opener “Who Will Buy” it does take a little while.
Had they chosen to not swerve from (and lean into) the path of heaviness, my assumption is this LP would be held in even higher retrospective esteem. Sometimes compared to Black Sabbath, Samuel Prody’s strong suit is more accurately a hard edged boogie (see the manic “Scat’s Shuffle”). Importantly, they groove but never choogle. There are a few spots reminiscent of first album Sabbath, but it’s necessary to differentiate that Samuel Prody don’t cultivate a dark, downer vibe.
By the second song “Woman” there’s a drum solo, but it’s concise and competently executed in a four-minute song, illuminating that Samuel Prody have the hard rock rudiments covered without succumbing to excess. Indeed, “Scat’s Shuffle” barely breaks two minutes. “Time is All Mine” does spread out a bit with similarities to Cream, but the harmony vocals insinuate that had the band not called it quits they might’ve whipped up a potential single or two.
The nearly nine minute closer “Hallucination” apparently receives the most retrospective attention, and there’s no denying it’s a good one that shifts through numerous stylistic settings, but more appealing are the back-to-back wailer-stompers “She’s Mine” and “Mr. Make Believe” that usher in the finale. It’s up to the individual to decide if an original copy of this album is worth $500, but for ears picking up what Samuel Prody is laying down, the price of Guerssen’s reissue is more than fair.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
