Toad - Stay

Hard Rock | 1971 | Switzerland | Label: Akarma | Catalog: AK 083/1 | RAR 3% Rec | RS
Toad's self-titled debut album may have, single-handedly, kicked off the entire Swiss hard rock movement in the '70s. Their first single, "Stay." made a great deal of headway on the Swiss charts -- a feat that no other hard rock band had ever accomplished in that country. Essentially a power trio consisting of Vittorio "Vic" Vergeat (guitar/vocals), Werner Frohlich (bass) and Cosimo Lampis (drums), Toad enlisted the help of vocalist Bens Jaeger for this (and only this) album. Heavily blues-based rock (à la Cream/Black Sabbath) was the major force behind Toad's hard driving sound, with bassist Frohlich providing a mean (and meanderingly gutsy) counterpoint to Vergeat's loose and greasy guitar licks. The record also has moments of Deep Purple-like propulsion, no doubt thanks to that band's engineer Martin Birch, who manned the controls on this one as well. Like most of the B-list (sometimes C-list) rock groups that Italian imprint Akarma has reissued throughout the early 2000s,Toad 's debut was mainly a collector's object in its LP form. There were better bands out there, doing the same sort of thing, but, chances are, those records were already on the shelves of most die-hard collectors. Albums likeToad may have enjoyed regional success in their time, but were largely forgotten or relegated to "closet classic" status (if they were remembered at all). These types of records have been fetching higherand higher prices over the years and it's darn good to see a reissue label dipping into this pool of underappreciated groups. In fact, if you have an appetite for this sort of thing, Akarma's reissue lineup really can't be beat -- plus, they'll save you from getting all that funky record-sleeve-mold on your fingers while you spend months searching for the (rare, rare, rare) original vinyl editions. by J. Scott McClintock

Vittorio "Vic" Vergeat (guitar, vocals, piano)
Cosimo Lampis (drums, percussion, vocals)
Werner Fröhlich (bass, vocals)

1 Cotton Wood Hill 8:29
2 A Life That Ain't Worth Living 3:26
3 Tank 3:22
4 They Say I'm Mad 6:40
5 Life Goes On 11:48
6 Pig's Walk 7:19
7 The One I Mean 2:28
Bonus Tracks
8 Stay 2:33
9 Animals World 3:25

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Toad
• Prog
• Hard
• Rock

[record1207]

This is one of the very best rock trio's that a friend if mine has turned ne onto in a very long time!!! The Guitarest 'Vic Vergeat" is nothing short of fantastic!!! This piece I think was recorded mid 70's AND VIC is still out there playing every chance he gets ans still as good if not a even a better player!!!! Do yourdelf a favor and check out all thier stuff,its all great!!! OH, thanks StringRamblerBale! KEEP TOAD MUSIC COMMIN!!!

[darublues]

Great Post Mann!

[mikexlong]

@Gyphia ...more or less

[mikexlong]

@Gyphia its a pretty standard concrete power chord riff really "dun- dudun- dudun-DUDUN!"

[aaronmonkeylover]

@record1207 

[record1207]

@aaronmonkeylover I am friends with the manager. This is a three piece band. I don't think Huey Lewis was ever a part of this band from Sweden. Ck out one of thier 1st 'Tommorow Blue'. The whole LP/CD is a fantastic masterpiece!!!

[aaronmonkeylover]

@record1207 You seem to know a lot about this band. Great. Is the same Toad that Huey Lewis played with in the 70s? It could have been a different Toad. As you well know the Alice Cooper group initially called themselves The Nazz not knowing that there was already a band called Nazz.