Soul Strut 100: # 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
RAJ
tenacious local 7,782 Posts
I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.
About
Power Of Zeus released their one and only album on the Rare Earth label in 1970. The Gospel According To Zeus is an inspired amalgam of screaming rock histrionics, oddball psychedelic strangeness and some of themost intuitively funky yet blisteringly heavy music ever committed to tape. The album has become highly sought after by breakbeat collectors, hip hop producers and other such connoisseurs of aged vinyl because of the lengthy "open" (ie solo) drum break in the final track, The Sorcerer Of Isis (The Ritual Of The Mole). A CD reissue was made available in the late 90s but that is also relatively scarce.
http://orexisofdeath.blogspot.com/2007/06/power-of-zeus-us-heavy-prog.html
Related Threads
Power Of Zeus: Reissues vs Originals
OVER RATED RECORDS!!!
Question for the truly Heavy
What is your favorite break?
Media
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.
About
Power Of Zeus released their one and only album on the Rare Earth label in 1970. The Gospel According To Zeus is an inspired amalgam of screaming rock histrionics, oddball psychedelic strangeness and some of themost intuitively funky yet blisteringly heavy music ever committed to tape. The album has become highly sought after by breakbeat collectors, hip hop producers and other such connoisseurs of aged vinyl because of the lengthy "open" (ie solo) drum break in the final track, The Sorcerer Of Isis (The Ritual Of The Mole). A CD reissue was made available in the late 90s but that is also relatively scarce.
http://orexisofdeath.blogspot.com/2007/06/power-of-zeus-us-heavy-prog.html
Related Threads
Power Of Zeus: Reissues vs Originals
OVER RATED RECORDS!!!
Question for the truly Heavy
What is your favorite break?
Media
Comments
Decent break, but an unlistenable '90s wallpiece for me.
bangin break, cool cover...i never found too much else to like about it. occasionally i go back and flip through, looking for something interested that hasnt revealed itself to my ears yet
I'm guessing that a lot of '90s wall-of-fame type break records will be in this list.
This record should be in the top 100 for something that happened on the Crates Mailing list. A journalist called Angus Beaty overbid on POZ to the tune of something like ??300. Another popped up on the bay a few days later and sold for less than half. On the list Beaty remained adamant that POZ was worth every penny, and then started a night called POZ, dedicted to spinning cult '70s rock records (or perhaps just to stroke his ego at having landed a 'big fish'). I think Beaty is the Guardian's go-to hip-hop interviewer.
Corrections welcome. This was years back, and was the only reason I picked up a copy.
Motown may have molded some of the better soul singers in Detroit, but they were scraping the bottom when it came to the local rock scene.
In fairness to Angus Batey, let's not forget that overbidding wildly on eBay for open breaks was kind of synonymous with the days of the Crates list, along with getting inexplicably excited about finding a clean copy of Ocean in Brixton Market for a quid (*ahem*). I remember him telling the story of winning PoZ as a result a drunken late-night bidding frenzy (and I think the club night was more a one-off), but I don't remember the bit about one popping up for peanuts shortly after.
Also, on the subject of "stroking his ego", you really couldn't be more wrong. Admittedly he's an acquaintance rather than a mate, but of the many mates who know him better than I do, none has ever described him as less than a stand-up guy. I do find his continued enthusiasm for Canibus utterly bewildering, though. Oh, and he no longer writes for the Guardian, and thus can't be held responsible for their (largely shitty) hip-hop coverage.
the first track is my favorite, but theres not a dull moment on the whole thing. different strokes for different folks, people on here probably only like black sabbath's first album for the break too....
insanity:
that track does rock well. i may have to give it my bi-decade listen
i was just playing, i know tons of sabbath fans are on here. that breaks the weakest part of the record!
yeah give it another shot, just zone out and do something out while its playing. i had no complaints and i tend to be pretty picky with these less popular 70s rock joints...
never said it was a bad break! id recommend a stoned out listen for sure.
Yeah, I got break fever on more than one occasion. Not meant as a diss, but this was how I first heard about POZ.
:feelin_it:
Yeah.. this record is cool.. it's got like 3 decent cuts, but i agree..I Don't feel this should have made the top 100.
Who's out there really sweating Power of Zeus? :
- spidey
It's not even on display.
No i ain't mad.