The Godz
Contact High With The Godz

When the Godz decided to record this album, they probably had never touched their instruments before, as they were repeatedly labeled as "the worst band in history"!

Many might still agree with this opinion today if one doesn't take into account the enormous influence the album had on rock music. But it's not just that: it's 1966 in New York, and at the same time, the Velvet Underground were taking their first steps (in the same city). With Lou Reed's band, the Godz shared a taste for minimalism, with the only difference being that while the former had a more intellectual approach to "rock matter" (and knew how to play), the latter were totally naive, with a "testosterone-driven" rather than cerebral urgency. From this perspective, the Godz could be more easily compared to the Stooges, but even in this case, the comparison doesn't entirely hold.

"Contact High" possesses the grit of those who have just started playing, sprinkled with adolescent frustration, a taste for goofing around and the typical goliardy of the freaks of the period: it's an example of "almost involuntary deconstruction", also anticipating a bit of the craziness of "Trout Mask Replica": just listen to "Squeak", a jam including a violin. Naturally, Larry Kessler is not a John Cale, never having taken lessons in his life (in fact, never having played), but the approach to the instrument seems to think of something extraordinary if one considers the strength unleashed by those off-key notes, combined with Thornton's percussion (which sometimes recalls Tucker). Through the various tracks of the album, one sometimes notices that the guitar is even out of tune, played in a raw and primitive manner: almost as if McCarthy (singer and leader) were plowing away on those two or three chords that compose the various songs. The lyrics, moreover, are mostly nonsensical, and the harmonica seems to mimic Bob Dylan on more than one occasion, so much so that at times it feels like one is facing a bizarre folk.

In short, anyone could have done the same thing, but then again, it isn't even true: who would ever have the guts to play like this in a recording studio? It's worth considering that ESP (an abbreviation for "Esperanto tongue," a strange language that would unite the world's peoples) had already dealt with the avant-garde, producing among others Albert Ayler and Pharoah Sanders. Regardless, "Contact High" is one of the most original garage albums and above all else a demonstration of courage and personality, going beyond the rock star poses.

In a single phrase: it is the quintessence of primitivism, and that's enough to rank it among the most influential albums for future generations.