Barely Contained: The Studio Sessions

Barely Contained: The Studio Sessions

Even if you were born in denim diapers to a family of bikers, this amazingly thorough compilation could be all the Cactus you'll ever need. At a whopping 33 tracks, Barely Contained - The Studio Sessions comprises the band's first four albums and a few outtakes. The 1970 cover of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm" from their eponymous debut strove to upstage Blue Cheer's 1968 version with twice the speed thanks to the insane drumming of Carmine Appice and the lightning fast leads of guitarist Jim McCarty (imported from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels). "Feel So Good" from the same album is another standout, especially in the performance of raspy voiced singer Rusty Day (formerly of Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes). With Eddie Kramer mixing at the board of Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios, tunes from their sophomore LP got injected with more boogie, most noticeably in the longhaired strut of "Rock N' Roll Children" and the fierce title track "One Way… Or Another." The sludgy stomp of "Token Chokin'" from 1971's Restrictions flirts with California twang while "Bad Stuff" may have helped spawn stoner rock.

Disc 1

Disc 2

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