Search - Lincoln Street Exit, Lincoln St. Exit :: Drive It

Southwestern garage/psych reviewed by "The Doctor"

Scott | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 07/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Linclon St. Exit were Albuquerque, New Mexico's premiere garage/ psych band of the late 60's / early 70's. "Drive It" was their first full length LP. It ranges from the psych / heavy blues ridden "Dirty Mother Blues" to the easy going "Soulful Drifter". In between are songs reflecting the times, "Man Machine", and "Time Has Come, Gonna Die", refelecting the Nam era vibe hanging over us all. Personally I only felt cheated by "Straight Shootin' Man", only because when the band performed this live, guitarists Mike Martin & R.C. Gariss would tear into a long jam, here in the studio, we get only 3 minutes. The rhythm section of Mac Suazo (bass) & Lee Herres (drums)were solid backing. This band opened for many a headliner coming through the Southwest, and provided great performances throughout. They evolved into a Native American rock music unit called XIT, and enjoyed some fine success in Europe, and you can still find their music available. "Drive It" is well worth your dollar for good 'ol psych, blues/rock."

Excellent 60s psych-hippie guitar

Paul J. Escamilla | NYC | 08/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lincoln St. Exit is one of those totally obscure, forgotten bands from the 1960's explosion of pychedelic rock.



To be honest, they do not belong in the top tier of bands from that era: The Doors, Cream, Hendrix, the Stooges, etc.



That being said, if you dig music from that era, I can assure you that you will enjoy a lot of this record. Especially the guitar, which is superb. Totally fuzzed-out, aggressive and unabandoned, in that inimitable late 60's style.



The two things that keep Lincoln St. Exit in the second tier are the singing and the song-writing.



The vocalist is impassioned and has a pretty good set of pipes, but he comes off a little too cliched and unoriginal in style, as if he's always imitating somebody else. It's one thing to be Jim Morrison trying to imitate the great black blues singers. It's another thing to be imitating Jim Morrison trying to imitate the great black blues singers.



The lyrics and song-writing, too, are not highly original and distinctive. They're not bad, they're just not great. They're good.



What is excellent, as I said before, is the guitar-playing. It's dynamite.



If you're like me, you've heard the "greats" enough. You've heard the Beatles and the Stones and the Doors and Cream and Zeppelin and all the rest so many times that it's just not fresh anymore.



That's why I find it fun to listen to bands like Lincoln St. Exit. The songs are new to my brain, the band is rocking and passionate and high on drugs, and the guitar-playing transports me back in time to a mythical, magical place.



"

Lincoln St. Exit

K. Sanz | NM USA | 06/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My review of this CD is going to be prejudice, because I know these guys personally. I even lived in their house at one time in my life, and took promotion photos for them. As with most Bands of that era, their best work was as a live performance. This Album only represents the tip of the iceberg of what they really sounded like and could do. By the time this album was recorded the band was getting pretty burned out on the psychedelic sound and style and was already looking into other venues for production and to keep it fresh , hence the second album "plight of the red man" having a completely different kind of sound and idea. These guys were extremely talented though, some of which doesn't show through completely on this recording. Lee Herrera the drummer is probably one of the best (if not the best) rock drummer that ever lived.

He was able to record drum tracks, over the guitars, after they had recorded, just listening to the guitar track through head phones in the studio...not many drummers can do that. Also he was able to do triplets with one foot while at the same time playing the rhythm with his hands. He does not use a double base drum set, although it sounds like he does.

Also I think Mike Martinez vocals were original...I think in the beginning he was trying to imitate Keith Relf of the Yardbirds but over the years it kinda evolved into his own style.

Also Mac Suazo because of his Native American background was able to provide a bass that went way down there. Like a bottomless pit it went all the way down, but also he just had talent up and beyond his background.

and...when people want to imitate that southwestern sound they always try and copy R.C. Garris...who is also a really nice person, and talented in his own right. I think he still plays in a band called Jump Street.

Just a good 60's band and a really great bunch of guys. There were many people that left the group prior to this recording besides Paul Chapman, Freaky Frank, Larry Leyba to name a few, also some of their best material was left out, such as "The Baby Jesus" and other great songs, that the group no longer used. I think it took two years for this Album to go into the production phase.

Also the bonus tracks are not by the original group, they were stand-In's hired after the original group broke up to try and sound like them. Lincoln Street Exit was not contrived though, it was a natural phenomena, that evolved out of a dance band that use to play our sock hops in Junior High School, and by the way in the early days they could play a really great "Gloria" "Brown Eyed Girl" By Van Morrison and an innovative "In the mid-night Hour" and all kinda stuff that you wanted to dance to in those days. The replacement band did not have that background or that kinda passion, and comes across as a two dimensional imitation of the original.



"