Rare Earth - Ma (1973)

My musically precocious pal Elvin was once again responsible for turning me onto another early '70s classic. Rare Earth's 'Ma', which had only five tracks, was one of the first psychedelic soul-rock albums (an unusual release from Motown considering that none of the band's members was African-American!) I heard. It only took a few spins of the LP to have me totally hooked.

What's amazing about the music is how uncomplex and elemental yet mesmerisingly improvisational and groove-based it is. And if you thought only Grateful Dead could turn an inspiredly loose and funky modal jam into a mind-blowing trip, wait till you hear Rare Earth! This is a studio album, but it becomes excitingly obvious from the set-opening 17-minute-plus title track that it's gonna be a rollickingly organic ride, sure to take you to the stratosphere and beyond.