DARK BLUE WATER

Listen to DARK BLUE WATER by No To Co.

No To Co ('So What') was a folk/blues/rock outfit that stylized themselves as highland mountain folk rockers. That seemed to do the trick, as they became extremely popular in Poland, and made several international tours, including one to the United States.

I didn't know that when I bought their third, eponymous 1970 album, which turned out to be in English, save for one French number. All I knew was the cover: 7 dudes in mountain costumes arrayed in the classic rock group pose ("Ok, you two cross your arms... you two, hands on your hips... you, hands down... you one hand on the hip, but turn to the side... and you, pick up a piece of grass or something and fiddle with it... AND NOBODY SMILE!") à la Gilded Palace of Sin. As it turned out, this one could be judged by the cover. Folk costumes = folk tunes, rock pose = rock sounds. Sure, there are some awkward moments, but overall, the sound is cohesive. There's even a 7-minute cover of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'", which almost riffs off into oblivion, but pulls back from the edge just in time.

So enjoy "Dark Blue Water" from No To Co, a group once (liberally) described as "the most original sound in the Central Europe". Uh, and about those first 8 seconds or so... just think of them as a wink!

That's it for me! Tomorrow Jason will be here, and then Bill is back.

Until next time!

Photo: Forest edge.