From mega-rare album "Enclosed" - Armadillo Records 1969
Guitarist Duane King and his bassist brother Nick joined the Lansing, MI
band the Next Exit in 1968. The rest of the band included Gary Harger
on drums, Mike Motz on lead guitar, and organist Clyde Hamilton. After a
name change to Magic and a single on their own label in early 1969,
Hamilton left the band and Motz was replaced by Joey Murcia, a Miami
native who had played with that city's Birdwatchers. Murcia, as it
happened, was a session player for TK Records in Miami and assured the
band he could get them a record deal, so Magic packed up everything and
moved to Miami. TK Records had an entirely black R&B roster at the
time, but Magic, who often covered R&B songs, fit right in, becoming
the label's first white signee. They recorded their first LP Enclosed
in the summer of 1969, which was officially released on their own
Armadillo label. The summer of 1970 found Magic returning to Lansing in
search of a major-label contract. A Detroit producer, Scott Regan,
helped to get the band signed to the Motown-owned Rare Earth label, and,
in 1971, Magic began recording their second album. The self-titled
album was released in 1972 to favorable reviews and featured Stevie
Wonder playing keyboards on several songs, but not long after the
album's release, Motown shipped off to California, closing down Rare
Earth and leaving Magic without a label. They recorded some demos in
hopes of landing another record deal, but the band never recovered from
the Motown move and called it quits. Murcia went back to session work
and played with numerous major artists -- the Bee Gees, Joe Walsh, and
Joe Cocker among them-- who recorded in Miami.
Once again a very
rare album as the original first pressing of the vinyl. When this
unknown US psych band released this debut album in 1969 the high point
of the psychedelic movement was already gone and the hippie times were
coming to an end.
There were numerous really good bands who
released just one album which failed to chart in the end of the 60's and
Magic was doubtless one of those.
"Enclosed " LP recorded in
May, 1969. The full reissue from the Master Tapes, plus their Armadillo
and monster 45s plus 5 previously unreleased tracks from the Enclosed
sessions, never before heard!! Psychedelic guitars abound on this
project, debut album American band's, referring to the style of Led
Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers Band (two guitars). I recommend
especially great, extensive song 'I'll Just Play' It's just amazing for
the whole 12 minutes with all of those backward sounds and great guitar
parts it's a really good work still and recommended for the acid rock
fanatics.
The A-side of the album includes good psychedelia
pieces after another. "ETS Zero" and especially "One Minus Two" are the
biggest highlights of the first side. Both are really impressive but the
rest of the songs are entertaining too. Side B begins with "Who Am I to
Say" which ain't nothing special. It's pretty much just an intro to the
grande finale jam "I'll Just Play". The album is a real Jekyll/Hyde
release, with most of side 1 comprised by comparatively weak
commercially oriented rock with some country flavor, while side 2
features an extended psychedelic guitar jam along the lines of Neil
Young's "Down by the River", but they played with even more passion!
Exactly what you want in your hippie rock great songs, jaw-dropping jam
at the end!
