Black Pearl-Black Pearl (1969)

Another obscure band from the late 1960s was Black Pearl. Originally from Boston, they had to relocate to the sunny shores of San Francisco, where they achieved moderate success in late 1969 and early 1970, releasing several albums that are now highly sought after by collectors. This band, with its three guitarists, was one of the first to explore psychedelic hard rock, with strong roots in R&B and substances like LSD. Part of their lineup came from another Boston band called The Barbarians, and included the energetic and visceral singer B.B. Fieldings, drummer Oak O'Connor, guitarists Tom Mulcahy, Jeff Mackay, and Bruce Benson, and bassist Geoffrey Morris. Once settled in San Francisco, they managed to record an album under the Atlantic label that cracked the Billboard Top 100. They then recorded their epitaph, "Black Pearl Live", which marked the end of their musical journey, returning to Boston and disappearing into the vastness of time. This first album contained nine tracks, including the lysergic rock songs "Crazy Chicken" and "Thinkin' 'Bout the Good Times", the R&B track "White Devil", the psychedelic "Mr. Soul Satisfaction", and the rhythmic "Climbing Up the Walls". All of them shared a clear common denominator: the interplay of the three guitarists with energetic and heavy riffs and guitar solos, and Fieldings' powerful vocals. Later, Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll magazine would categorize them as one of the first bands of early American lysergic hard rock.