Ladies W.C. - s/t
(Shadoks)
This Venezuelan artifact, originally released in 1969 on the Souvenir label in a limited edition of 4,000 (which immediately sold out, mostly to fans in the Caracas area), was recorded in 2 1/2 days on the eve of American student Stephen Scott's return to the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism. It sure makes all his fellow students' "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essays pale in comparison! Scott (bass and vocals) co-wrote the album with lead guitarist Adib Casta; Seijas brothers Jaime (guitar) and Mario (drums) round out the quartet. Casta died while this reissue was being prepared. The release is dedicated to him, although, sadly, his name is misspelled in the booklet photo.
The songs, which Mario's liner notes tell us were "Steve's melodies purified by Adib and tinted by Jaime," are book-ended by the sound of a flushing toilet—a bold move back then, but completely appropriate considering the band's name, which refers to the women's bathroom, or "water closet." Indeed, sound effects play a key linking role between tracks in the form of ocean waves, wailing sirens, screaming babies, screeching brakes, crashing cars, jet take-offs, etc.
Scott has that requisite bluesy wail so prevalent in late '60s psychedelia, and the opening track "People," with Casta's spot-on emulation of Clapton's trademark screaming guitar and Scott's perfect embodiment of Bruce's heavy, throbbing basslines, wouldn't have been out of place on Cream's Disraeli Gears. Casta also shows off his magic fingers on the sloppy garage-rockin' "I Can't See Straight." Scott mentions in his liner notes that the band featured the two hottest guitarists in Venezuela, but I think he's being too parochial. Few stringbenders anywhere could match the dual pyrotechnics on display here, and fans of '60s blues/psych, whether it be the Latin or North American type or that from across the pond in Britain, are encouraged to seek this out pronto!
"Heaven's Comin' Up," another walking, bluesy wail of a tale in the great tradition of what Canned Heat, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Killing Floor were doing north of the border, also demonstrates that Scott can blow harp with the best of them. The screaming baby between-track link perfectly (and literally!) suits the tale's screaming lament. Casta whips off another brain-frying solo on "And Everywhere I See the Shadow of Life," which is a rather catchy pop tune that might've made a successful single were it not for that unwieldy title. "Searching for a Meeting Place" returns to the classic bluesy psychedelia of Cream, so much so that I think Ladies W.C. would have made a perfect opening act for the British blues legends at the Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms, back in the day.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the third track on each LP side is a soft, moody ballad offering welcome respite from the guitar workouts. A theme song of sorts, "W.C. Blues" has a familiar air about it, like one of those bluesy instrumentals in those '60s exploitation psych films like Psych Out, The Trip, or Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. If you are a fan of '60s psychedelia with a "blue(s)-ish" tint, and especially if you collect South American rock, I highly recommend Ladies W.C.
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