Shotgun Ltd-Shotgun Ltd (1971)

Shotgun Ltd. were another one of those obscure and forgotten short-lived bands that left their mark with a superb, single album released in the early 1970s, which, by a twist of fate, would be lost in the dark tunnel of rock and roll history. Formed in Los Angeles, they rose from the ashes of other bands called The Twilighters and The Ash, and consisted of organist Dave Norup, guitarist Jack Schoolar, singer Joe Gutierrez, bassist Ruben Dominguez, and drummer Buzie Buchanan, all between the ages of 17 and 21. During their concerts at one of Los Angeles' most famous venues, The Galaxy on Sunset Strip, they were discovered by a talent scout named Delaney Bramlett, who secured them a contract with a small local label called Prophesy Records. Under this label and produced by Jim Gordon, the renowned keyboardist of Delaney and Bonnie, they released their first and only album, self-titled after the band. Several supporting musicians also participated in the recording process, including guitarist Ben Benay, saxophonist Jerry Jumonville, and even Jim Gordon himself on keyboards. This single album is brimming with bluesy hard rock sounds, tinged with psychedelic influences and dark progressive elements, the latter due to Jim Gordon's use of Moog synthesizers. Tracks like the opening track, "Bard Road", clearly establish the band's heavy blues rock sound, while the intricate "Number Two" is a rather complex psychedelic track. Other tracks, such as the brilliant "I Don't Mind", the vigorous "Mixed Nuts", and the rhythmic "Trials", demonstrate the enormous potential of this phenomenal band. However, they also showcase their impressive vocal talents, as demonstrated in the exquisite "Feeling Bad" and the irresistible "River of Hope". Despite the album's exceptional quality, it went completely unnoticed, as happened with countless others released around the same time, fading into obscurity. This led to the dissolution of Shotgun Ltd. some time later, due to a lack of interest from the public, who were more focused on the hundreds of bands and mainstream artists of the era.