Cargo was a Dutch band that released this apparently, now highly sought after album in 1972. Their four-piece lineup featured dual guitars along with bass and drums. Sounding quite similar to countrymen Golden Earring, Cargo unfortunately lacked the technical and creative musicianship of that band, and this ends up being little more than mundane, long-winded guitar rock with some psychedelic tinges. The four long tracks stretch some unimpressive musical ideas far too thin, and the jam sections never build into anything really exciting. If you simply can't get enough of that early 70s guitar/psych sound then this album certainly shouldn't disappoint, but there are far better examples of the genre out there. Before becoming Cargo, the band included a keyboardist (elec. piano/organ) and went under the name September. Eight of their early singles and demos are included here, adding about 30 minutes to the length of the CD. These early songs sound even more like late 60s Golden Earring than the Cargo album itself. Only for serious fans of the genre.

(Originally published in Exposé #4, p. 24, Edited for Gnosis 4/8/01)