Various Artists - Brown Acid - The Seventeenth Trip (Various Artists) (CD) - CD

Details: Lucky number seventeen? Believe it. Those at Brown Acid have been scouring the highways and byways of America for even more hidden stashes of psych / garage / proto-punk madness from the so-called Aquarian Age. There's no flower power here, though-just acid casualties, rock stompers and major freakouts. As always, the songs have been officially licensed, and all the artists get paid. Some samples of this trip include: Stone Hedge were a seven-piece rock band out of Michigan with a penchant for Creedence and anthropomorphism. "Smokey Bear" is their 1972 tribute to the official mascot of the U.S. Forest Services-not to mention the A side of their sole single-and it recalls the kind of organ-drenched swamp jam that soundtracked many a Burt Reynolds flick back in the day. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may not be known as a cultural mecca, but they did produce Truth & Janey. This deadly hard rock trio delivered their holy grail full-length, No Rest For The Wicked, back in 1976. "Around and Around" is a Chuck Berry cover that originally appeared on a 1973 single the band released under the earlier name Truth. Originally released in 1973, "High School Letter" is the debut single from San Diego rock squad Glory. This infectious bonehead cruncher features future Beat Farmer Jerry Raney and the original rhythm section of Iron Butterfly in bassist Greg Willis and drummer Jack Pinney. Glory is what they got up to after their former bandmates left for L.A.'s garden of Eden. "Jack the Ripper" is a mercilessly bootlegged Cleveland classic from 1978 with a serrated punk edge and vocals that recall Mick Blood of Aussie savages the Lime Spiders. Or maybe it's the other way around-the Lime Spiders formed the year after Strychnine carved off this lethal paean to the infamous Whitechapel slasher of olde.