From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Thu Sep 22 15:18:36 2005
Subject:Re: Was "Roundabout" Hammond Solo-now BLOODROCK

Hi Bill,

>OK, I'm getting lots of hits for Steve Hill, but I still don't know who they
>are...

Bloodrock was a 5 (?) piece ensemble that came out in around 1970 with a one real hit: "D.O.A." This was a 4 min. (shortened to 3 min. for the single) slow-dance paced anthem with some of the most morbid lyrics ever written in pop music: Take "Last Kiss" of '50s fame, and strip away all the sweet remembrances of "my baby." Just leave in the blood and gore -- in fact, throw in some more blood and gore, since the "my baby" stuff used to take up a minute and a half. (The song was basically about a too-late ride in an ambulance from a plane crash.) Incredibly, couples at my high school DANCED to this song, in full locked-zippers splendor!

D.O.A. was off an album called "Bloodrock 2," IIRC. "Bloodrock 3" followed six months later. Seems like there must have been a Bloodrock 1, but I never saw it. Unfortunately, when your band's name is "Bloodrock," you're big single is "D.O.A.," and the cover of your second album has units of whole blood hanging from a gurney or something similar, it's pretty damn hard to break into the mainstream of rock culture! (They were briefly huge in the Buffalo, NY area.)

It's a shame, because the band was quite talented: a monster guitarist, no slouch on the rest of the instruments, and lots of 3- and 4-part harmonies. Terrific Hammond playing by Mr. Hill.

Regards,

-BW

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