Cactus - Cactus (1970)

A long-forgotten power boogie cracker! After leaving Vanilla Fudge, bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice formed Cactus to grind out the kind of highly propulsive blues-rock Cream and Led Zeppelin were having a huge bang with around 1969-1970. The original plan was for them to team up with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart and jump on the supergroup bandwagon that was all the rage then. But Beck was put out of action by a serious motorbike crash and Stewart had moved on to the Faces, so guitarist Jim McCarty of the Detroit Wheels/Buddy Miles Express and singer-harmonica player Rusty Young of the Amboy Dukes were hired to keep the project alive.

Surprisingly for a unit put together in a hurry, Cactus rocked pretty wickedly, as this debut — arguably their best album — demonstrates. Day more than proves his worth as a screamer, and while McCarty may not be in the same league as Beck, he turns in some truly searing, shreddy solos. Of course, all this wouldn't work without the rock-solid rhythm foundation laid down by Bogert and Appice who enjoyed a short-lived moment of glory as Beck, Bogert & Appice (check out their album) immediately after Cactus disbanded.