PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC: "Are You Ready"

Original released on LP Columbia CS 1017

(US, 1970)

Anchored by their sole hit, "Are You Ready?," it treads a thin line between eclecticism and confusion, and is actually weaker on the whole than its predecessor. Certainly the ominous yet inspirational gospel-funk-psychedelia of "Are You Ready?" was the strongest track, and to this day the only one that most casual rock fans remember. Yet other cuts on the album indicated they couldn't decide whether to be a heavy blues-rock group ("Hawg for You"), a more soul-dipped version of the Band ("Staggolee"), a swampy soul-rock outfit (a cover of the Isley Brothers' "The Blackberry"), or, least convincingly, cry-in-your-beer honky tonk balladeers ("Mother, Why Don't You Cry?"). This wouldn't have been such a handicap if the material wasn't as mediocre as it was, and any song titled "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love" is a warning that lyrical imagination wasn't in abundance on the day it was composed. They do play the James Brown-psychedelic rock fusion card with some gusto on "Elvira," and Charlie Allen's vocals are pretty soulful, though it's only on a cover of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" that they come to the fore in a no-nonsense manner. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC Debut Album

Original released on LP Bright Orange 701

(US, December 1968)

The debut album of the five-member Pacific Gas & Electric reveals a nimble little blues band with a great shouter for a lead singer. Far less lumbering than the band became on their better-known major-label recordings, the Modern release of "Get It On" begins with the kind of maximum R&B bang that few American rock groups beyond the MC5 or Young Rascals would have been able to muster: a six-minute version of "Wade in the Water" that careens through its six long minutes with power and just enough balance between control and chaos. (The track was billed as being recorded "live," but it was actually a studio creation with overdubs.) Lead singer Charlie Allen was a charismatic force up front, and lead guitarist Glenn Schwartz, a transplant from Cleveland and the James Gang, matched Allen's charisma with his solos. If they have a weakness on "Get It On", it's the rhythm section, which despite including Frank Wilson of Canned Heat, can't always keep up with Allen or Schwartz, and sounds pretty stiff in comparison. (John Bush in AllMusic)

This was another band I had erroneously avoided, thinking they were primarily a soul act (not really my thing). But I ended up finding a cheap single taken from this first album, and liked it enough to want to investigate further. It was originally released on Kent, with a semi-nude image of a woman on the cover. It was later picked up by Power Records, with the original image altered. The album starts out with a live track, recorded in a club in L.A. To my taste, this is the album's weakest moment. I found it to be quite soul flavored blues rock, that just never seemed to get out of first gear, making it a long haul at 6:11. With this track, I feared my original suspicions were realized. But the rest of side one was a modest improvement, and encouraged me to keep going. Side two continued with its upward progression, pretty much all the way to the end - it just keeps getting better and better. There can be no denying that the guitarist is the show stealer on here. I feel that without him, they were just another garage blues band, distinguishable only for their soul oriented vocalist. But the guitar solos are alway standouts on each cut, and in a few, he uses fuzz. One thing I noticed about the sound on track B2 on this issue is that it sounds significantly sped up. It is already a fairly fast paced track, so it isn't immediately noticeable. But by the end of it, you find yourself thinking it sounds a little funny, and by turning the pitch on the speed down, it sounds quite a bit more normal. This will hold most of its appeal to blues rock enthusiasts, especially those with soul biases. Great, solid blues album with almost another album's worth of bonus tracks. The original album is worth 4 stars in it's own right, but the bonus tracks on this particular release makes it such great value for money. The guitar playing throughout is pretty groovy, and the vocals are great.  When you consider the music on here dates back to 1968, it impresses on me just how good an outfit Pacific Gas & Electric were.  Even listening to it today it does not sound dated at all. (in RateYourMusic)