Pugsley Munion Just Like You CD

Pugsley Munion began life under the name Mask in Fitchburg, Massachusetts . When the band recorded their first record for J & S Records in 1969 they found that the name Mask was already used so they had to come up with a new name for the band. So the story goes the bands road crew came up with the name Pugsley from street sign in New York and the Munion came from the name of a cop that had run into at a donut shop after a gig one night hence the name Pugsley Munion. The band consisted of John Schuller keyboards, vocals and acoustic guitar, Thomas "Ducky" Belliveau, guitars bass & vocals, and Edward Kelly on drums and percussion. Schuller, the creative force behind the band wrote or co-wrote with Belliveau every track on their album. This very rare album was originally released in 1970 on J&S Records, a small R&B label and was recorded in New York at the Bell Sound Studios. The album contains some tasty guitar work on some of the tracks together with Schuller's thundering organ sound which makes this a totally unique hard rock album that will appeal to fans of many late sixties hard rock blues sounding bands. The band members are still involved in the music scene with Schuller recording in the mid 80's as part of Orion The Hunter with Boston members and Belliveau being one of America's top session players touring and playing on albums with such notables as John Cafferty, Terrance Trent D'Arby Peter Wolfe and many more. Kelly is also a much in demand area session drummer. As a bonus to the original album this reissue contains two alternate demo versions of songs as well as a live song recorded in 1971. The CD booklet contains information on the band written by John Schuller and the songs have been taken from the master tapes for a crisp clean sound. ~ Keith Pettipas

There are any number of intriguing curios and lost treasures from the late '60s and early '70s, and Gear Fab has had a knack for finding some of the rarest and finest among them -- or at least ones that have retained a degree of listenability or charm -- but this CD is just not one of them. It's difficult to even understand what a record company might have seen in Pugsley Munion back when Just Like You was released in 1970, since it's barely more than competent. It certainly hasn't aged too gracefully. For one, it's not even a fully fleshed out album, featuring a rough mix and practice-like performances from the band. Musically, there's a little bit of excitement here and there: the good-time boogie rock and irresistible go-go bass groove of "Second Time for Me," the guitar-riff hook of "Take My Soul," and the stellar drum opening and nice guitar work of "Trouble" and "I Don't Know Who to Blame" are all proof that, with a strong vocalist and good writing, Pugsley Munion might have made some music worth remembering. Unfortunately, neither of those things is in evidence here, and even when a song is onto something, it's rarely completely composed or sustained more than a few bars. Other than those few spots of excitement, the songs are unimaginative, derivative, and pedestrian hard rock built off the usual blues changes, with all the sincerity and volume of the form but without the least bit of melodic ingenuity or technical facility. The band may have aspired to Zeppelin-esque heights, but mostly they just sound flat and tired, with leftover and reused Doors organ riffs. Even worse is John Schuller's earsplitting, frequently tuneless (or downright tone-deaf) wail, which even makes Robert Plant sound subtle and nuanced in comparison. It truly makes Just Like You a painful listening experience. Drummer Ed Kelly consistently shows himself to be the band's single artistic high point with his deft and often inspired playing, but he just isn't given the material or space in which to shine. Guitarist Ducky Belliveau also shows some psychedelic flashes of ignition, while the others are capable enough players, but matching capability with lackluster music only makes for mere