"Hydra/Land Of Money/Rock The World" by HYDRA – Debut Album From September 1974 (USA) and November 1974 (UK) on Capricorn Records, Second Album from August 1975 (USA) and November 1975 (UK) on Capricorn Records with Their Third And Last Studio Album from April 1977 on Polydor Records – featuring Spencer Kirkpatrick and Ad Wayne Bruce (10 April 2020 UK Beat Goes On Reissue – 3LPs onto 2CDs – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review and 424 Others are available in my e-Book:



"...Glitter Queen..."

Forever the support band and never the mainliner, Southern Rockers HYDRA were more Allman Brothers meets Montrose than the ludicrously inept Prog Rock-looking Hipgnosis artwork of their Debut Album suggested.

Issued in mid September 1974 in the USA on all things good-ole-boys-boogie 'Capricorn Records' – neither the band Hydra nor their debut barely registered in the UK – their third album from 1977 on Polydor Records not even issued in Blighty. And unfortunately, apart from some great moments of Foghat-like Slide Boogie on the overlooked self-titled debut album – it's easy to hear why.

After the initial excitement and flurry, records two and three here are sort of poor man’s Bad Company circa 1979 when the English Band didn't care. Both Hydra albums huff and puff and try hard but there are no real tunes or decent hooks. If you put say the stunning "Second Helping" album by Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1974 alongside Hydra's 1974 debut effort – the Sweet Home Alabama boys wipe the floor with Hydra. Hell, even Skynyrd's half-assed "Nuthin' Fancy" album of 1975 had more genuine Southern Rock charm than the dreadfully dated "Land Of Money" LP from the same year. As a Vocalist Wayne Bruce is good, but never great, Guitarist Spencer Kirkpatrick can slash those strings but the finished studio albums never go on fire  – you get the picture.

That brings us to this April 2020 '3LPs-onto-2CDs' reissue from England's Beat Goes On Records – the first time to my knowledge that their three albums have been brought together in the one place for a proper digital dust off. And BGO has excelled here. These albums now really Rock! ANDREW THOMPSON, BGO's resident Audio Engineer has delivered on the Audio front, even if the material (especially on those last two records) doesn't quite come up to snuff. Let's get seven-headed…

UK released Friday, 10 April 2020 - "Hydra/Land Of Money/Rock The World" by HYDRA on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1408 (Barcode 5017261214089) offers 3LPs from 1974, 1975 and 1977 Remastered onto 2CDs (no Bonus material) and plays out as follows:

CD1 (46:41 minutes):

1. Glitter Queen [Side 1]

2. Keep You Around

3. It's So Hard

4. Going Down

5. Feel A Pain

6. Good Time Man [Side 2]

7. Let Me Down Easy

8. Warp 16

9. If You Care To Survive

10. Miriam

Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut album "Hydra" – released September 1974 in the USA on Capricorn Records CP 0130 and November 1974 in the UK on Capricorn Records 2429 120. Produced by DAN TURBEVILLE – it didn't chart in either country

CD2 (70:22 minutes):

1. Little Miss Rock 'N Roll [Side 1]

2. The Pistol

3. Makin' Plans

4. Land Of Money

5. Get Back To The City [Side 2]

6. Don't Let Time Pass You By

7. Let The Show Go On

8. Slow And Easy

9. Take Me For My Music

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 2nd studio album "Land Of Money" - released August 1975 in the USA on Capricorn CP 0157 and November 1975 in the UK on Capricorn Records 2429 130. Produced by JOHNNY SANDLIN - it didn't chart in either country

10. Rock The World [Side 1]

11. Wasting Time

12. Can You Believe

13. You Love Gets Around

14. Shame [Side 2]

15. To The Willowed

16. Feel Like Running

17. You're The One

18. Diamond In The Rough

Tracks 10 to 18 are their third and final studio album "Rock The Nation" - released April 1977 in the USA on Polydor PD-1-6096 (no UK release). Produced by MICHAEL STEWART - it didn't chart

HYDRA was:

WAYNCE BRUCE – All Vocals and Guitar

SPENCER KIRKPATRICK – Lead Guitar, Slide and Acoustic

ORVILLE DAVIS – Bass

STEVE PACE – Drums

Guests (Debut Album):

Dan Turbeville on Keyboards

Randall Bramblett on Alto Sax with Oscar Jackson on Tenor Sax

Earl Ford on Trombones with Todd Logan on Trumpets

Guests (Land Of Money album)

Chuck Leavall (of The Allman Brothers Band and later The Rolling Stones) – Keyboards and Synths on all tracks

Will Boulware – Organ on “Take Me For My Music”

Bill Stewart and Johnny Sandlin – Percussion

As always with these BGO reissues, the outer card slipcase lends the 2CD set a classy feel while the 16-page booklet with liner notes features new liner notes from NEIL DANIELS. You get most of the original artwork and recording credits alongside the reissue details. But the big news as already mentioned is the 2020 ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters giving everything here real muscle.

As you can see from the details listed above, the debut album in particular had a four-piece Brass Section added on to two key tracks - "Glitter Queen" and "Good Time Man". This was done without the band's knowledge or even permission and Hydra were none too pleased. But their loss is our gain because I suspect Producer Dan Turbeville had maybe been listening to what horns did to the "Call Me The Breeze" J.J. Cale cover that ended Side 2 of Skynyrd's "Second Helping" (lifted it into the boogie stratosphere) and probably though the same would work here (especially on the great "Glitter Queen") - and for my money, the man right. 

A bit more about that Spencer Kirkpatrick-written track which I suspect is most people's entry into the band Hydra. "Glitter Queen" opened the debut in real Rock Boogie style and was featured on the "Peaches – Pick Of The Crop" Capricorn Records label sampler in the UK in the same month as the LP was released – November 1974 on Capricorn 2476 105 (you could pick up the sampler for 97p). "Peaches" came as a promo-only double-album sampler compilation in the USA on Capricorn PRO 588 as part of their 'Loss Leaders' series (it was on Side 4). Such was the punch in this song that Capricorn Records used it on both sides of the pond as a lead off single for the album. While the October 1974 British 45 on Capricorn 2089 008 had the lesser album-track "It's So Hard" on the flipside (perhaps killing its potential in Blighty), the US variant (also issued October 1974) has the far better "Going Down" (a Don Nix cover version) on its B-side for Capricorn CPS 0216. That US 45 feels like a bit of a forgotten Rocking classic to me. Other goodies on the Debut Album included "Good Time Man" – a tune that shows off Spencer Kirkpatrick as a hot Slide Guitarist (he had been part of The Atlanta Vibrations who managed one 1966 privately-pressed US 45 on Sim-Cor 101).

The final two albums have their moments – the frantic guitar chug of "Little Miss Rock 'N Roll" and the funky keyboard-driven "The Pistol" clearly considered by Capricorn Records as a potential 45 but it went to only Promo stage (no stock copies). But stuff like "Land Of Money" and "Let The Show Go On" are trying too hard and Boulware's lone song contribution "Take Me For My Music" is as cringing as its title sounds. By the time we reach 1977 "Rock The World" is hardly Lizzy in their prime and "Your Love Gets Around" feels like Foghat in second gear and going down further.

This is a five-star reissue of three-star material. But for fans of the band and lovers of Southern Rock (best exampled on the debut) - given the audio and quality presentation - this will be a must own...