First Base is the debut album by the British band Babe Ruth, released in 1972 on the Harvest label. It is one of those early ’70s records that sits right at the intersection of hard rock, progressive rock, blues, funk, and jazz-rock.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, it doesn’t sound like a mere exercise in technical showmanship. It possesses character, aggression, and a peculiar cinematic atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Janita “Jenny” Haan is undoubtedly the album’s greatest asset. Her voice is massive, gritty, and theatrical, somewhere between Janis Joplin and Robert Plant, yet she is never a mere copy of either.<\/p>\n
Complementing her is guitarist Alan Shacklock, who wrote the majority of the material, he moves with remarkable ease between heavy riffs, extended instrumental passages, Hammond organ work, and more progressive arrangements.<\/p>\n
“Wells Fargo” opens the album impressively. It features a heavy riff, dynamic drums, and saxophone, with Haan entering as if she were taking over the entire studio. It is arguably the album’s most direct hard-rock track and became an FM radio hit.<\/p>\n
“The Runaways” lowers the intensity, showcasing a more atmospheric side of Babe Ruth. Strings and oboe add an unusual cinematic dimension, although the arrangement here is slightly less consistent. On “King Kong,” the band tackles Frank Zappa, transforming the composition into an explosive progressive\/jazz-rock track.<\/p>\n
Jesse Winchester\u2019s “Black Dog” is one of the most interesting choices. Dave Punshon\u2019s piano creates a bluesier, more melancholic foundation, over which Haan delivers a particularly powerful vocal performance.<\/p>\n
And then comes the masterpiece: “The Mexican.”<\/p>\n
This is where Babe Ruth truly find their own identity. The track blends hard rock with a spaghetti-western atmosphere and incorporates Ennio Morricone\u2019s theme from For a Few Dollars More.<\/p>\n
The result is cinematic, heavy, and incredibly addictive. Shacklock\u2019s riff and Haan\u2019s vocals make “The Mexican” one of the most distinctive cult tracks of 1970s British rock.<\/p>\n
“Joker”, with its clavinet intro and hard-hitting riff, closes the album with a final dose of pure hard rock.<\/p>\n
Much of First Base’s charm lies in its sound. It isn’t a “clean” progressive rock record, it features gritty guitar work, Hammond organ, saxophone, congas, funk rhythms, blues phrasing, and extended instrumental sections. The production allows the musicians to sound like a real band rather than an overly polished studio construct. The presence of saxophone and percussion even adds a touch of a Santana-like vibe in places, while progressive elements ensure the album never devolves into conventional hard rock.<\/p>\n
The cover art is by Roger Dean, known for his work on Yes albums, and plays cleverly on the name Babe Ruth and the sport of baseball.<\/p>\n
First Base is an underrated gem of British hard\/progressive rock. It may lack the historic renown of bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, or Uriah Heep, but it possesses something many bigger bands of the era lacked. A truly distinctive sound.<\/p>\n
For anyone who loves blues rock featuring heavy guitars, powerful female vocals, and a sense of progressive adventure, First Base is essential listening.<\/p>\n
And if we had to pick just one track from the album, it would undoubtedly be “The Mexican”, which I select, it stands as one of the most iconic cult hard-rock tracks of 1972.<\/p>\n
Tracklist<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Wells Fargo 6:14 First Base is the debut album by the British band Babe Ruth, released in 1972 on the Harvest label. It is one of those early ’70s records that sits right at the intersection of hard rock, progressive rock, blues, funk, and jazz-rock. Most importantly, it doesn’t sound like a mere ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-records-that-made-history"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n2. The Runaways 7:12
\n3. King Kong 6:40
\n4. Black Dog 8:03
\n5. The Mexican 5:45
\n6. Per Qualche Dollaro In Piu (Interpolating)
\n7. Joker 7:42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"