Mystic Number National Bank - Mystic Number National Bank in 1969 (USA, Blues)
The only record a blues quartet from Kansas City. The album was recorded in New York and appeared on the shelves in 1969. Glenn Walters then joined the group "The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils", who released several albums in the 70s .
Greetings all.
The late 60s was filled with ludicrously named bands, so much so that I could probably list five or ten of them, make up five more, mix them up and you’d never know the difference. I seem to remember a George Carlin AM/FM routine where he namechecks an imaginary group called the Indoor Outdoor Electric Protestant Blues Band (or somesuch…). The Mystic Number National Bank is one of those (real) bands. What little I’ve been able to find out about them, suggests that they hailed from Kansas City. They were – as ‘Beautician Blues’ reveals – yet another in a long line of whiteboy, overdriven electric blues machines, of which there was a decided surplus in the Woodstock era. Much in the same way that I dig the Vanilla Fudge’s visions of excess on the soulful side of things, in which the Wilson Pickett is crossed with a healthy dose of hallucinogenics, then refried, amplified and shot out of a rocket, I dig the Mystic Number National Bank’s melange of Blind Lemon Lunchpail (or Rutling Orange Peel as the case may be…), wrapped in an impossibly large heap of long greasy hair, leather lunged wailing and what I’m sure was a slightly straight looking horn section working the back of the stage. There’s a 1969 festival mud vibe running through the record that’ll take you away if you let it. I also dig that the drummer was apparently the vocalist, and was doing his level best to shout down the less than inspiring twin lead guitar attack, which has a sloppiness that suggests to me that the producer was either stoned, or dealing with some kind of corporate time constraints that allowed for one take and one take only. So take off your shoes, let the mud swallow your toes and shake your ass to the sound of the Mystic Number National Bank.
Tracks: 01. Blues Jam - 2:20 02. Good Love - 2:42 03. It Will Break Your Heart - 2:48 04. AC / DC - 1:45 05. St. James Infirmary - 8:02 06. Beautician Blues - 2:24 07. Umbrellas - 3:43 08. Ginger Man - 3:00 09. Big Boy - 3:35 10 . Blues So Bad - 3:45
Personnel: Bob Sebbo - lead guitar Russ Booth - bass Dave Lorenz - rhythm guitar Glenn Walters - drums, lead vocals + Dick Weissman, John Turner - producers
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