Thought from the beginning as a cash-in operation when hard rock began to spread throughout the UK, this LP features a very young band (keyboardist Jon Stoppard was 16 when this LP was released in 1973) performing the sounds of the day. Equinox consisted of Mick Shedd on vocals and guitar, Sid Oldfield on bass, Jon Stoppard playing organ and Terry Waldon as the drummer. Incidentally they are not the ones who appear on the sleeve, where they were replaced by some unknown hipsters, and knowing Boulevard and it's mother label Saga it was probably a stock photo rather than a proper session paid for the occasion.
The album sounds move through the early UK hardrock paths opened by bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, and although it must be said that our youngsters can't match the playing skills of the bands they mirrored in, it's justice to state "Hard Rock" as a more than decent effort, and a true rarity even for the conoisseurs of the genre.
Issued from the original master tapes and featuring the original sleeve in better quality than the low budget Boulevard original, this is a perfect chance to add the Equinox to your collection. Remember : only 500 copies pressed!
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