Long before the Misfits donned devil-locks and mused on monsters, and prior to Roky Erickson’s obsessions with vampires and two-headed dogs, Screaming Lord Sutch was forging the horror-rock template. Smoke and Fire is a repackaging of 1970’s Screaming Lord Sutch And Friends but what’s more impressive than his carving out a niche with spooky stompers like “Wailing Sounds” or “Smoke and Fire” is the fact that some of rock’s royalty recorded this album. Jimmy Page played guitars, sang backing vocals and produced while Jeff Beck, John Bonham, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins also contributed parts. Unfortunately Sutch’s gaggle of star-studded session players were told that they were tracking demos for fun, so they turned their back on him after finding the album packaged and released. Songs like “Cause I Love You“ hit with a heavy garage-rock gusto that continues to influence young musicians embracing the Beatle boot and pawnshop guitar aesthetic/sound. Jeff Beck’s licks on “Gutty Guitar” play with a sinister authority while Page’s leads on “Thumping Beat” are nothing short of incredible.