Wizard - The Original Wizard (1971) (1999)

AllMusic Review by Stanton Swihart
Musically, The Original Wizard is hard-driving, power-trio rock informed by bits of both the blues and psychedelia, and, as such, it is one of countless albums trying to rise out of the crowded acid-rock field that had grown increasingly ponderous and meat-headed since the '60s, when psychedelia began as a means more than an ends. By the early '70s, that field had morphed mostly into excessive hard rock, characterized by self-importance, pedestrian songwriting, and overlong solos, and even the most popular bands tended toward self-absorbed posturing. On their only album, Wizard could not escape those stylistic tendencies entirely because they had been informed by them, but their sound was considerably more imaginative and interesting than much hard rock from the period, including many of the similar bands who earned far more commercial popularity than they did. The album certainly has its share of less-than-interesting moments; it has too many of the hallmarks of period hard rock. The band occasionally comes across as far too full of themselves as well. Their music is loud, aggressive, and marinated in the sort of ominous, mystical chord changes that make it seem "important," even when a composition is not so. There are plenty of indulgent, overblown solos on the album; lyrically Wizard asserts a period political consciousness that is none too novel, shouting about "freedom," expressing outrage at the recent Kent State killings ("Killing Time"), threatening to drop out of society ("Goin' Away") or attain enlightenment ("S?ance," "Talkin' to God"), and conspicuously burying the word higher in song about a "girl" named Mary. And yet, although nearly every song contains a slight blemish of the grandiose, the bits of inspiration and moments of sonic excitement that pop up outnumber the missteps. The songwriting is uneven, but when Wizard is on -- variously recalling the Doors, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, and fellow acid-rock obscurities Stack, in a positive sense -- they're much more imaginative than most of their peers. The highlights require some treasure hunting, but they are certainly present. Wizard's single, "Got Love," has a joyous, almost country-gospel sensibility along the lines of Delaney & Bonnie, and there are even more country inflections on "Ride" and the understated boogie "Goin' Away." "Come and See the Bride" opens with a fabulous organ-dirge-to-pop-song explosion, while "S?ance" is legitimately mystical. When the guitar playing is reigned in -- as it is on the mumbling wah-wah of "Got to See My Way" and in the echoing lines on "Evergreen" -- it is phenomenal. The Original Wizard certainly has a wealth of ideas; had it been given a bit more thought and care, it might have actually been good.