This was probably my favourite band for a long time. I was 12 years old in my first year in high school, in 1989. I had started listening to pirate radio at the age of 10 and when I was 12 I began buying music magazines and vinyls, after my uncle had given me his old worn-out turntable. One of the magazines I used to buy was "Metal Hammer & Heavy Metal". I wasn't really into heavy metal music (never been) but I bought the particular magazine every month because it contained two column pages named "Forgotten Jewels" and "Electricore" respectively. Those were the only articles I would read. Once, there was an article on Dust on the Electricore page. The person who wrote it (it was either Demetrios Stergiou or Popi Stefa, I don't really recall the name of the reviewer now - it's been 17 years you know!), had done something really amazing: he/she didn't write a common review but an almost literary, introspective text in which he/she quoted large parts of the lyrics of both Dust albums. I was so immersed that I decided to locate the albums at any cost. Fortunately, a guy at a local record shop happened to be a record collector and he made a tape for me with both the albums (he was actually surprised to find out that a high school boy knew Dust!!!). Once I put the tape in the cassette player, I never stopped listening to it all day. Years after, in 1995, I bought both vinyls at the Monastiraki flea market in Athens, to fulfill my aspiration.
Dust were a New York band, formed in 1971. They consisted of Kenny Aaronson: bass, slide and pedal steel guitars, Marc Bell: drums and percussion and Richie Wise: electric and acoustic guitars, lead and background vocals. Most songs were penned by Richie Wise and Kenny Kerner, the production manager who went on later producing for Kiss! Dust were indeed fantastic musicians and it is really a treat to listen to a trio playing unbelievable hard rock infected with psychedelic, heavy and even country elements. The songs are all great (no exception, believe me) and the lyrics are very good. Apart from Richie Wise, bassist Kenny Aaronson (later known as member of the supergroup HSAS) is one of the fastest bassists I've known and he is also adept at slide guitars and dobro. Drummer Marc Bell is even faster and some of you will be surprised to learn that, after Dust disbanded, he went on drumming with the Ramones, changing his name to Marky Ramone!
Hard Attack is Dust's second and last album, released in 1972. Unfortunately, the band never had any commercial success and they were forced to split after the release of Hard Attack. Shame, because we are talking about a great band...
This band means a lot to me, guys. Please give them the attention they deserve, they're really worth it.
Tracklist
Side 1
Pull Away/So Many Times
Walk in the Soft Rain
Thusly Spoken
Learning to Die
Side 2
All in All
I Been Thinkin'
Ivory
How Many Horses
Suicide
Entrance
(note: this is a vinyl rip)
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