1971
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"...Give Me Love..."
Sporting the same
luxurious yet doom-obscure gatefold artwork as the Black Sabbath debut album
(courtesy of cult artist Keef) - Zior's 1971 debut on the obscure Nepentha
Records label waffled on the front cover about Hell and Love and the icky like.
Yet talk of the occult and stage shows that apparently scared the living crap
of unsuspecting audiences - Zior turned out to be a rather ordinary Hard Rock
Band with occasional hooky tunes that really could have done something if they
hadn't been mired in such jump-on-the-occult-bandwagon crap.
Typically though,
cult British reissue label Grapefruit Records (part of Cherry Red) do the business
by our hairy Southend band and deliver a Box Set that may at last give their
Atomic Rooster/Black Widow Rock sounds a better airing and understanding. I
can't honestly say that all of it is worthy of such lavish attention - but you
do get the hugely expensive May 1971 debut on Nepentha Records, an October 1971
album featuring Zior Leading Man Keith Bonsor hiding under the pseudonym of
Steve Lowe in a band called Monument (on Beacon Records), a German-only LP from
1973 by Zior on Interchord Records and finally on Disc 4, a privately issued
album of new Zior recordings from 2018. The first two even sport bonus tracks
in the shape of rare single B-sides. Let's get blinded by the light (and coven
clichés)...
UK released 30
August 2019 - "Before My Eyes Go Blind: The Complete Recordings" by
ZIOR [including MONUMENT] on Grapefruit Records CRSEGBOX057 (Barcode 5013929185708) is a 4CD
Clamshell Box Set of Remasters that plays out as follows:
CD1 (44:10
minutes):
1. I Really Do
[Side 1]
2. Za Za Za Zilda
3. Love's Desire
4. New Land
5. Now I'm Sad
6. Give Me Love
7. Quabala [Side
2]
8. Oh Mariya
9. Your Life Will
Burn
10. I Was Fooling
11. Before My
Eyes Go Blind
12. Rolling
Thunder
Tracks 1 to 12
are their debut album "Zior" - released May 1971 in the UK on Nepentha
Records 6437 005 (no US issue). Produced by BILL FARLEY - it failed to chart.
BONUS TRACK:
13. She's A Bad,
Bad Woman - Non-Album B-side to "Za Za Za Zilda", released 25 June
1971 in the UK on Nepentha 6129 002
CD2 (45:47
minutes):
1. Entrance Of
The Devil [Side 1]
2. The Chicago
Spine
3. Have You Heard
The Wind Speak
4. Time is The
Reason
5. She'll Take
You Down
6. Dudi Judy
7. Strange Kind
Of Magic
8. Ride Me Baby
9. Evolution
10. Every Inch A
Man
11. Cat's Eyes 3
12. Suspended
Animation
13. Angel Of The
Highway
Tracks 1 to 13
are their second studio album as ZIOR called "Every Inch A Man" -
released early 1973 in Germany on Global/Interchord Records 26009-1.
CD3 (33:56
minutes):
1. Dog Man [Side
1]
2. Stale Flesh
3. Don't Run Me
Down
4. Give Me Life
5. The
Metamorphosis Tango
6. Boneyard Bumne
7. First Taste Of
Love
8. And She Goes
9. Overture For
Limp Piano C
10. I'm Coming
Back
Tracks 1 to 10
are the album "The First Monument" by MONUMENT where all tracks are
credited to STEVE LOWE as the writer - really KEITH BONSOR of ZIOR - released
October 1971 in the UK on Beacon Records BEAS 15
CD4 (61:54
minutes):
1. Welcome To My
World Of Darkness
2. The Wicca
Maker
3. Crowman Rises
4. Demon Woman
5. Vampire Night
6. Earth Hell
& Fire
7. The Spirit Of
India
8. Release The
Dogs
9. Eastwood Bugsy
10. Sabbat 8
11. Scorpion
12. Storm Chaser
13. Entry Of The
Devil Voices
14. Rue
Chanoinesse
15. Data Bizzare
Tracks 1 to 16
are the album "Spirit Of The Gods" privately released on Vica Records
(with no catalogue number) in 2018
BONUS TRACK:
16. Inner Mind
Vision (1971)
The 24-page
booklet features a new interview with Zior's principal songwriter Keith Bonsor
(all material is licensed from him, no mastering credits) and DAVID WELLS liner
notes on their 'colourful' history. There are impossibly rare Euro picture
sleeve variants for their two Nepentha Records 45s - "Za Za Za Zilda"
(June 1971 on 6129 002) and "Cat's Eyes" (December 1971 on 6129 003
with "I Really Do"on the B-side).
Bonsor also
explains that the band may have encapsulated actual witches, but they were
never evil-mongers and the Beacon Records album by Monument only did for their
rep with its lurid claims on the back cover of Witchfinder General goings on.
The audio on each varies from good to great - the superb Flute and Harmony Rock
of "New Land" on the debut sounding suitably impressive for instance
while the 2018 is actually too in your face. And the debut card sleeve is a
gatefold reflecting that original iconic artwork – the others are singles.
You can
understand why Nepentha Records tried the Blackfoot Sue "Standing in The
Road" sounding "Za Za Za Zilda" track as a 45 that might land
Zior on 'Top Of The Pops' - hooky and catchy. It was at least better than its
rather dull "She's A Bad, Bad Woman" non-album B-side. But the debut
(like much of their stuff) suffers from average songs, a good but never great
vocal and a fair-to-middling production. Those expecting the big riffs of
Sabbath can look elsewhere - but that doesn't stop stuff like "New
Land" being excellent - though you may wonder where the bop Rock 'n' Roll
of "Rolling Thunder" fits in with all that doomy artwork. Albums two,
three and four feature more badly recorded vocals buried in the mix of Rock
riffage ("Strange Kind Of Magic"), Psych Rock ("Boneyard
Bumne") and so on. By the time you make it to the final splash, it feels
like hard work instead of hard rock.
In the end much
of the Zior material is very second rate and feels more dated that dark. For
fans it's a treat for sure, but I'd advise anyone else a listen before purchase...
