Bloodrock -

Bloodrock was an American hard-rock band that released six studio albums and a live double-LP on Capitol between 1970 and 1974. Their first lineup cut the riff-heavy albums Bloodrock, Bloodrock 2, Bloodrock 3, and Bloodrock U.S.A. with singer–drummer Jim Rutledge and guitarist Lee Pickens. “D.O.A.” gave the band its lone Top 40 hit in 1971. After Rutledge and Pickens left, Bloodrock hired singer–multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham and moved toward longer progressive arrangements on Passage and Whirlwind Tongues.

Members: Nick Taylor (guitar, vocals), Ed Grundy (bass, vocals), Stevie Hill (keyboards, vocals), James Rutledge (drums, vocals, 1969-72), Lee Pickens (guitar, vocals, 1969-72), Rick Cobb (drums, vocals, 1970-73), Warren Ham (vocals, wind, 1972-75), Randy Reeder (drums, vocals, 1973-75), Bill Ham (guitar, 1975), Matt Betton (drums, 1975)

Background

Bloodrock had its roots in garage-rockers The Naturals, formed in Fort Worth, Tex., in 1963 by four teenagers: guitarist Nick Taylor, bassist Ed Grundy, drummer James Rutledge, and another guitarist, Dean Parks. They released one single, “Hey Girl” (b/w “I Want You”), on small press Rebel in 1965.

In 1966, they changed their name to Crowd +1 and issued the single “Mary Ann Regrets” (b/w “Whatcha Tryin’ to Do to Me”) on one-press BOX.

Parks left the band in 1967 to work as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, where he would play on more than 1,300 albums, including titles by The Crusaders, Lalo Schifrin, Tata Vega, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Randy Crawford, Leo Sayer, John Valenti, The Originals, The Whispers, Chi Coltrane, Nitzinger, Zulema, the Four Tops, Tavares, and Minnie Riperton. Two of his most recognized credits are “As” by Stevie Wonder (Songs In the Key of Life, 1976) and “Haitian Divorce” by Steely Dan (The Royal Scam, 1976).

Crowd +1 expanded to a five-piece with guitarist Lee Pickens and keyboardist Stevie Hill. On Capitol, they released the 1968/69 singles “Don’t Hold Back” (b/w “Try”) and “Circles” (b/w “Most Peculiar Things”). In 1969, they linked with Grand Funk Railroad manager/producer Terry Knight, who suggested a new name, Bloodrock.

Bloodrock

Bloodrock released their self-titled debut album in February 1970 on Capitol.

The album places Jim Rutledge’s lead voice against Lee Pickens’ lead guitar, Nick Taylor’s second guitar, Stephen Hill’s keyboard layer, and Ed Grundy’s bass line. Rutledge also anchors the debut lineup from the drum kit. Long-form pieces stretch the band’s riff base with organ mass, distorted guitar figures, and extended vocal sections.

Bloodrock works through blunt mid-tempo riff cycles, thick keyboard pressure, and a large, low-set vocal line. “Gotta Find a Way” opens on a terse two-note guitar figure before the verse cuts across a repeated refrain and short organ break. “Castle of Thoughts” uses a fast-rolling rhythm and changes sections through successive guitar figures. “Double Cross” rides a heavy strut with a broad opening figure and a harder vocal cadence. “Timepiece” sets softer atmospheric lines against a louder refrain. “Wicked Truth” presses distorted guitar weight into a blunt riff pattern. “Melvin Laid an Egg” closes the album with the heaviest low-end figure and a strange lyric pattern.

A1. “Gotta Find a Way” (6:34) — Bloodrock
A2. “Castle of Thoughts” (3:31) — Jim Rutledge, Lee Pickens
A3. “Fatback” (3:24) — Rutledge, Ed Grundy
A4. “Double Cross” (5:19) — John Nitzinger
A5. “Timepiece” (6:00) — Robert Louis O’Neill, Hal Ames

B1. “Wicked Truth” (4:48) — Nitzinger
B2. “Gimme Your Head” (2:44) — Grundy
B3. “Fantastic Piece of Architecture” (8:49) — Rutledge, Stevie Hill
B4. “Melvin Laid an Egg” (7:27) — Nitzinger

Bloodrock recorded Bloodrock in 1969 with producer Terry Knight. Knight also designed the cover art.

Capitol issued “Gotta Find a Way” as a single in February 1970 (“Fatback”). Bloodrock reached No. 160 on the Billboard 200.

Bloodrock 2

Bloodrock released their second album, Bloodrock 2, on October 5, 1970, on Capitol.

The album introduced drummer Rick Cobb, whose presence freed James Rutledge as a vocalist.

Bloodrock 2 tightens the band around mid-tempo riff patterns, organ-heavy pressure, and a firmer vocal line. “Lucky in the Morning” opens with a lighter, forward rhythm and group-vocal lift. “Cheater” starts as a compact riff piece before the middle section jumps into faster, harder ensemble drive.

“Sable and Pearl” slows the pace and sets Rutledge’s strained vocal phrases against abrupt heavier breaks. “Children’s Heritage” and “Dier Not a Lover” use short-form, rolling rhythms with clipped ensemble force. “D.O.A.” drags the tempo into a long, organ-led death scene, with siren-like keyboard tones under a spoken-sung crash narrative. “Fancy Space Odyssey” closes on a reverse-angled main guitar figure and depressive text pattern.

A1. “Lucky in the Morning” (5:48) — John Nitzinger
A2. “Cheater” (6:52) — Bloodrock
A3. “Sable and Pearl” (4:58) — Nitzinger
A4. “Fallin’” (4:06) — Bloodrock

B1. “Children’s Heritage” (3:34) — Nitzinger
B2. “Dier Not a Lover” (4:10) — Lee Pickens, Stevie Hill, Sam Gummelt
B3. “D.O.A.” (8:30) — Bloodrock
B4. “Fancy Space Odyssey” (5:11) — Nitzinger

Bloodrock recorded Bloodrock 2 in summer 1970 with producer Terry Knight and engineer Kenneth Hamann.

Capitol issued “D.O.A.” as a single in November 1970 (b/w “Children’s Heritage”). “D.O.A.” reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Cash Box Top 100.

Bloodrock 3

Bloodrock released Bloodrock 3 in April 1971 on Capitol.

The album retains the six-man lineup from Bloodrock 2: lead singer Jim Rutledge, lead guitarist Lee Pickens, rhythm guitarist Nick Taylor, keyboardist Stevie Hill, bassist Ed Grundy, and drummer Rick Cobb. The band tightens its riff patterns around organ blocks, clipped guitar figures, and Cobb’s backbeat.

Bloodrock 3 restores the band’s harder mid-tempo riff language and gives the organ more mass inside the arrangement. “Jessica” opens on a low, ominous bass figure and runs through fast vocal turns with a forceful keyboard layer. “Whiskey Vengeance” uses a grim text pattern and a rough refrain over a hard-rocking rhythm. “Breach of Lease” stretches into a slow, brooding epic with quiet verse space and large riff eruptions. “Kool-Aid Kids” accelerates into a fast shuffle, breaks for a quieter middle passage, and returns to a sharp guitar figure. “You Gotta Roll” uses a more basic rolling rhythm. “A Certain Kind” lowers the volume into ballad form. “America, America” ends the album as a short, understated fragment.

A1. “Jessica” (4:46) — John Nitzinger
A2. “Whiskey Vengeance” (4:13) — Nitzinger
A3. “Song for a Brother” (5:20) — Nitzinger
A4. “You Gotta Roll” (5:09) — Jim Rutledge, Nitzinger, Stevie Hill

B1. “Breach of Lease” (9:04) — Bloodrock
B2. “Kool-Aid-Kids” (6:30) — Bloodrock
B3. “A Certain Kind” (4:24) — Hugh Hopper
B4. “America, America” (1:24) — Bloodrock

Bloodrock recorded Bloodrock 3 in January 1971 with producer Terry Knight and engineer Kenneth Hamann. Knight designed the album cover. Bloodrock 3 reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200.

Capitol issued “A Certain Kind” as a single in 1971 (“You Gotta Roll”). “Jessica” followed as a 1971 single (“You Gotta Roll”) and reached No. 129 on the Record World chart.

Bloodrock U.S.A.

Bloodrock released Bloodrock U.S.A. in October 1971 on Capitol.

Jim Rutledge fronts the final studio album by the original vocal lineup. Pickens and Taylor frame the album with paired guitar parts, while Hill’s keyboards thicken the midrange. Grundy and Cobb hold the rhythm section to a firm bass-and-drum base.

Bloodrock U.S.A. uses shorter riff pieces, heavier keyboard density, and a cleaner ensemble mix. “American Burn” drives a hard political text through a compact arrangement and ends on a high vocal cackle. “Crazy ’Bout You Babe” sets a sharper rhythm under the lone love lyric named in the source material. “Hangman’s Dance” works from a heavy tune form and darker chord pressure. “Don’t Eat the Children” pushes a blunt lyric through a forceful vocal line. “Abracadaver” adds a macabre title to the album’s hard-edged song set. “Magic Man” closes the album as the long-form piece, with watery electric-piano lines, a blues-rooted main body, an organ-heavy middle section, and a shouted return at the final refrain.

A1. “It’s a Sad World” (4:26) — Bill Ham, Warren Ham
A2. “Don’t Eat the Children” (3:17) — Bloodrock
A3. “Promises” (3:11) — Bloodrock
A4. “Crazy ’Bout You Babe” (2:40) — Bloodrock
A5. “Hangman’s Dance” (6:02) — Bloodrock

B1. “American Burn” (4:00) — Bloodrock
B2. “Rock & Roll Candy Man” (3:07) — Bloodrock
B3. “Abracadaver” (4:51) — Bloodrock
B4. “Magic Man” (6:18) — Bloodrock

Bloodrock recorded Bloodrock U.S.A. at Capitol Studios with co-producer John Palladino and engineer John “Sly” Wilson. John Hoernle handled art direction, and Norman Seeff photographed the cover. Bloodrock U.S.A. reached No. 88 on the Billboard 200.

Capitol issued “Rock & Roll Candy Man” as a 1971 single (“Don’t Eat the Children”).

Passage

Bloodrock released Passage in September 1972 on Capitol.

Warren Ham replaced Rutledge on lead vocals and added flute, saxophone, and harmonica. Pickens also left, which made Taylor the sole guitarist. Hill’s keyboards take a larger role in the arrangements, while Grundy and Cobb ground the longer pieces with steady rhythm-section weight.

Passage replaces the earlier riff weight with longer sectional forms, flute and saxophone breaks, and brighter keyboard color. “Scottsman” opens with a heavy guitar figure before the arrangement turns to a martial flute passage. “Juice” uses tricky meter changes and keyboard–guitar exchanges. “Life Blood” layers organ and synthesizer lines under flute entries. “Days and Nights” sets a simple guitar figure against a saxophone break in the middle section. “Lost Fame” works through a tighter rhythm pattern. “Thank You Daniel Ellsberg” uses blues form. “Fantasy” ends on a waltz pulse and music-hall contour.

A1. “Help Is on the Way” (4:35) — Rick Cobb, Stevie Hill
A2. “Scottsman” (3:45) — Nick Taylor, Hill, Warren Ham
A3. “Juice” (3:38) — Hill, Ham
A4. “The Power” (4:23) — Mike Pietzsch
A5. “Life Blood” (5:38) — Cobb, Hill, Ham

B1. “Days and Nights” (7:56) — Hill, Ham
B2. “Lost Fame” (4:14) — Hill, Ham
B3. “Thank You Daniel Ellsberg” (3:15) — Cobb, Hill
B4. “Fantasy” (5:18) — Hill, Ham

Bloodrock recorded Passage in July 1972 with co-producer Ed Grundy and co-producer Peter Granet. Passage reached No. 105 on the Billboard 200.

Capitol issued “Help Is on the Way” as a 1972 single (“Thank You Daniel Ellsberg”). “Thank You Daniel Ellsberg” later appeared as a 1973 single with a non-album B-side.

“Voices” (3:40) — Stevie Hill, Warren Ham

Bloodrock Live

Bloodrock issued the double album Bloodrock Live in November 1972 on Capitol.

The set captures the Warren Ham lineup with guitarist Nick Taylor, keyboardist Stevie Hill, bassist Ed Grundy, and drummer Rick Cobb. Ham splits lead voice with flute and saxophone lines that cut across extended sections. Taylor drives the program with long guitar figures, while Hill stacks organ chords beneath the vocal line. Grundy and Cobb hold a steady backbeat across the side-long builds.

A1. “Gotta Find a Way” (6:20) — from Bloodrock (1970)
A2. “Cheater” (6:45) — from Bloodrock 2 (1970)
A3. “Forty Days and Forty Nights” (3:05) — non-album blues standard

B1. “Jessica” (4:40) — from Bloodrock 3 (1971)
B2. “Kool-Aid-Kids” (6:20) — from Bloodrock 3 (1971)
B3. “D.O.A.” (9:05) — from Bloodrock 2 (1970)

C1. “Help Is on the Way” (4:30) — from Passage (1972)
C2. “It’s a Sad World” (4:20) — from Bloodrock U.S.A. (1971)
C3. “Rock & Roll Candy Man” (3:05) — from Bloodrock U.S.A. (1971)

D1. “Fantasy” (5:10) — from Passage (1972)
D2. “Breach of Lease” (9:00) — from Bloodrock 3 (1971)
D3. “American Burn” (4:00) — from Bloodrock U.S.A. (1971)

Bloodrock recorded Bloodrock Live during 1972 tour dates with producer Terry Knight. Capitol handled the album release and packaging.

Whirlwind Tongues

Bloodrock released Whirlwind Tongues on January 4, 1974, on Capitol.

Randy Reeder replaced Rick Cobb on drums, though Cobb also appears in the album credits. Warren Ham leads the vocal line and adds flute, saxophone, and harmonica. Nick Taylor supplies the guitar parts, while Stevie Hill’s keyboards carry a larger share of the arrangement. Ed Grundy anchors the album and shares production with Peter Granet.

Whirlwind Tongues keeps the post-Passage lineup in a smoother progressive format, with shorter song forms, lighter riff weight, and more flute-led arrangement color. “Eleanor Rigby” recasts the Beatles song as a fast dance-number with a thick flute layer. “Stilled by Whirlwind Tongues” extends the title idea into a sped-up ballad form with repeated “propaganda” text. “Guess What I Am” uses piano ballad form and string color under Warren Ham’s high vocal line. “It’s Gonna Be Love” places bright synthesizer breaks inside a softer song format. “Parallax” works from a short distorted riff and flute insert. “Jungle” opens on a chugging guitar figure before the arrangement turns broader.

A1. “It’s Gonna Be Love” (3:19)
A2. “Sunday Song” (4:21)
A3. “Parallax” (3:40)
A4. “Voices” (3:40)
A5. “Eleanor Rigby” (3:10) — written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

B1. “Stilled by Whirlwind Tongues” (5:35)
B2. “Guess What I Am” (2:56)
B3. “Lady of Love” (3:56)
B4. “Jungle” (4:32)

Bloodrock recorded Whirlwind Tongues in autumn 1973 with co-producer Ed Grundy, co-producer Peter Granet, and engineer Bob Pickering. Capitol issued the album in LP and 8-track formats.

Discography: