Shiver - San Francisco's Shiver (1972/2001 Shadoks)
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Artist: Shiver
Album: San Francisco's Shiver
Released: 1972/2001
Shadoks Music (023)
Genre: Heavy Hard Rock, Heavy Psych, San Francisco Bay Bands
Fuzz, Acid & Flowers: Based in San Francisco, this group recorded some tapes in 1972, which were finally released by Rockadelic in 2000. Five long jamming guitar cuts with screaming vocals on Fixer and Bone Shaker and an amazing track called Alpha Man, fifteen minutes of flowing West Coast guitar leads combined with heavy rock riffs. The CD reissue contains four bonus cuts and a liner where Don Peck recounts the band's history.... His first real band was in Dallas in 1967 - The Hungry Freaks who adopted a heavy "badass" image and covered the likes of The Animals, Them, Stones and 13th Floor Elevators. When they split he joined the black R&B combo Les Watson and The Panthers who recorded on Ike Turner's Vesuvius label. He'd been flitting back and forth twixt Dallas and San Francisco, where his sister lived and in 1969 he decided to settle there. At the end of the year Shiver came together and over the next three or so years became a popular attraction, particularly with the biker fraternities. Vocalist Saluga was known for his short fuse and wasn't averse to using the metal arm appendage that gave him his nickname. As a result he was fired numerous times, whereupon Frank Twist would take up vocal duties. During their lifespan they also went under the names Pacific Thrust, Kid Courage, and Terry Saluga's Riff Raff. - By Vernon Joynson.
Chris Goes Rock: The music on this cd represents the entire recorded output of this obscure early '70s acid-rock band. Shiver recorded this stuff live to two-track tape in the summer of 1972, and while they never released an album back in the day, it's clear that the world is ready for their heavy guitar jams now. Well, maybe not the world but certainly those of us, mostly too young to have "been there then", who aren't entirely satisfied with today's stoner metal and are always looking for the real deal, the lost stoner psych monster. Basically, Shiver were a bunch of hard-rocking hippie freaks, brought together by a Texas-bred drummer who moved to San Francisco to take up where his obvious heroes Blue Cheer left off. They soon had a rather rough, tough reputation, playing Haight street fairs and Hells Angels biker parties. At one point they even had a singer with an iron hook for a hand, which he could use as a slide for his guitar, or for more violent purposes. Shiver played "heavy psychedelic rock" at its most primal no overdubs, raw as hell. Rising from the same scene of Texas freaks like The 13th Floor Elevators, Johnny Gee & The G Men, and a pre-ZZ Top, Warlocks, Shiver moved to SF and this CD documents their complete output of early 70s heavy psychedelic rock. In a city known for peace, love and flower power, Shiver was an over the top, in your face, balls to the wall 'gang' of musicians that felt at home with Hell´s Angels and Hippies alike. Free Love, Free Dope. Shiver played a lot of Street Fairs on Haight, Market and Castro streets, and got to jam with guys from Big Brother (Gurley & Albin) and other local heroes. These recordings were done on a twotrack machine at 2909 Mariposa in the Summer Of ´72 and feature no overdubs or studio 'wizardry'. What you hear on these tracks is Shiver in it´s raw, powerful glory."
Rate Your Music: This band reminds me of a wilder (and earlier) version of JPT Scare Band. Based on my tastes, this should rate really high, but I just can't seem to get into jam bands for some reason. I'm still in the process of trying to familiarise myself with this album, even though I dread the prospect of sitting through another entire hour of this. The only purpose I even listen to music (other than entertainment) is to keep me up during my extremely monotonous job. Despite this album's energy, the lack of melody and structure always seems to put me to sleep. It's the same exact problem I have with JPT Scare Band. Well, I'm going to keep trying, and maybe I might put up the positive review that these guys deserve. - By Andrupchik.
Gnosis: Hard to fathom now, but San Francisco was once a blue collar town filled with longshoreman, canning slugs, underpaid brewery and chocolate factory workers. Even the beats like Jack Kerouac championed it. Despite this, there were a surprising few bands that represented that downtrodden underbelly of SF Society, and today are all but forgotten as the mega-millionaire software moguls, leftist academics and clueless hipster culture freaks have overrun the place and celebrate what they don’t understand. Enter Shiver, one of the most insane power trios to ever play anywhere, anytime. Recorded in that uncertain time between hippy-dippy psychedelia and the gritty days of post OPEC oil embargos, Shiver gives us a peek into a time/place that is largely forgotten. We’ll make this review real simple: If you like long instrumental jams, with loads of effects applied to the guitar, and a relentless rhythm section, then you need this. Yesterday. The songs themselves are mere blues rock skeletons (with male Joplin-like vocal grittiness), in reality nothing more than excuses to launch into the next crazy jam. ‘Tough as Nails’, ‘Fixer’, ‘Bone Shaker’, ‘Interstellar Vision’ and the 14+ minute ‘Alpha Man’ are all about rocking you into oblivion. Rockadelic originally unearthed these archived recordings a few years back, and now Shadoks has taken the role of the CD issuer. Certainly in the top echelon of amazing finds from the good investigators of Rockadelic, an LP specialist label that has found more rare treasure than anyone else. Soundboard recording is in amazing shape, and isn’t too far removed from a major label live release of the era. Shadoks’ CD adds 4 more tracks, in lesser sound, and quite frankly, lesser quality, as they call out Shiver’s more basic blues rock roots to no purpose. Quit at the original Rockadelic release and you have a full album that is essential for those that dig cosmic blues jams. More rough and ready than the spaced out Krauts of Ash Ra Tempel and Guru Guru, but we’re in the same ballpark here. - By Tom Hayes.
Rockadrome: Shiver - San Francisco's Shiver CD. Rising from the same scene of Texas freaks like The 13th Floor Elevators, Johnny Gee & The G Men, and a pre-ZZ Top, Warlocks, Shiver moved to SF and this CD documents their complete output of early 70s heavy psychedelic rock. In a city known for peace, love and flower power, Shiver was an over the top, in your face, balls to the wall 'gang' of musicians that felt at home with Hell?s Angels and Hippies alike. Free Love, Free Dope. Shiver played a lot of Street Fairs on Haight, Market and Castro streets, and got to jam with guys from Big Brother (Gurley & Albin) and other local heroes. These recordings were done on a twotrack machine at 2909 Mariposa in the Summer Of ?72 and feature no overdubs or studio 'wizardry'. What you hear on these tracks is Shiver in it?s raw, powerful glory.....and something mysterious about a hook!
Freak Emporium: Late 60's / early 70's power trio who supported a lot of legendary SF bands but made a good living playing biker bashes. Heavy blues based amphetamine rock that takes no prisoners. Superb package with band history, pics etc... plus 4 bonus tracks. On Rockadelic is this early 70's power trio who supported a lot of legendary SF bands but made a good living playing biker bashes. Heavy blues based amphetamine rock that takes no prisoners. Housed in a paste on gatefold sleeve with full band history and very limited. Last Copies.
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