In ReviewMadder Lake
Butterfly Farm
Aztec Music
Grade:

Butterfly Farm is the second album (released originally in 1974) from Madder Lake, a five-piece blues/progressive rock band from Melbourne, Australia, which enjoyed success in their homeland during the 1970s. Their music is best described as Nektar with a heavier blues influence — frontman Mick Fettes’ gritty vocals having more in common with Roger Chapman or Joe Cocker than Roye Albrighton. The other Madders are Brenden Mason (guitars), Andy Cowan (keyboards), Kerry McKenna (bass) and Jack Kreemers (drums).

“Rodney’s Birthday” kicks off the record, with a sly guitar riff and blast of cymbals and organ chords before touching down over a lush chorus and barrelhouse piano. Mason’s soloing work and Kreemers’ drumming are highlights. The band soon sets sights on the cosmos with “Mother Ship,” a trippy ride into outerspace portended by an ominous synth opening. “Booze Blues” is a rollicking Southern-rock boogie where Fettes lays back a bit, letting the edge off his voice. Cowan plays like Billy Powell and Mason plays like himself — brilliantly.

“Ride On Fast” starts with a moody organ run, then turns into a Grand Funk-like rocker before breaking off into a groovy, psychedelic vamp. Fettes sings like he’s trying to eat the song. “One Star And The Moon” sounds like a lost T. Rex track, with pounding piano and backing female vocals. The title track is a Traffic-esque number, with some cool synth lines from Cowan and Mason’s fuzz-laden guitar. “Slack Alice,” a paean to a woman with a healthy libido, alternately rocks and glides on a breezy vamp. This reissue tacks on four far-from-filler bonus tracks; the two best being the optimistic “It’s All In Your Head” and “I Get High,” a single taken from 1976, with that lineup’s keyboardist John McKinnon taking vocal duties. Aztec Music’s reissue of Butterfly Farm and Madder Lake debut Stillpoint comes at a fortuitous time, as Madder Lake have recently reformed with intent to record a new album. Let’s hope their old (and new) music gets heard.