Boomerang -

Boomerang was an American hard-rock band from NYC that released a 1971 self-titled album on RCA Victor.

Members: Jo Casmir (bass, vocals), Richard Ramirez (guitar), James Galluzi (drums), Mark Stein (keyboards, vocals)

Background

Boomerang formed in 1970 in New York City around keyboardist–vocalist Mark Stein, who previously wrote and sang for Vanilla Fudge across five albums. After the split of that band, Stein declined a solo offer from Atlantic head Ahmet Ertegun, instead assembling a new quartet with teenage guitarist Rick Ramirez, bassist–vocalist Jo Casmir, and drummer James Galluzi. RCA signed the band for a single album.

Boomerang

Boomerang released their singular album in August 1971 on RCA Victor (LSP-4577).

The album opens with “Juke It,” a slow-grinding, horn-infused hard rocker in the mold of early Led Zeppelin. Elsewhere, Boomerang balances psych-tinged heavy blues with Deep Purple–style organ rock and the occasional orchestrated ballad.

Though Stein shared songwriting and production duties with his bandmates, he dominates the album’s sound with fuzz-toned organ and soulful vocals.

A1. “Juke It” (4:52) – Heavy opener with a strutting groove, low-end horn accents, and a blues-rock grind reminiscent of Zeppelin and early Cactus.
A2. “Fisherman” (3:34) – Meandering psych-blues tune with abstract lyrics and swirling organ.
A3. “Hard Times” (4:09) – Choppy mid-tempo rocker with a brief backwards guitar solo by Ramirez.
A4. “Mockingbird” (4:00) – Cover of the 1963 Inez and Charlie Foxx hit, reworked with Heep-style organ flourishes and hard-rock dynamics.

B1. “Cynthia Fever” (3:42) – A coiling, borderline metallic riff-driven track with layered organ textures.
B2. “Brother’s Comin’ Home” (4:44) – Orchestrated ballad with piano intro and string arrangement by Billy Arnel; features only Stein.
B3. “The Peddler” (5:18) – Solid closer with a pulsing rhythm and descending hard-rock riffage in the style of Led Zeppelin II.

The band recorded the album at RCA Studio B in New York with engineer Gus Mossler and technicians Dick Baxter, Mike Hartry, and Pat Martin. Mossler engineered subsequent titles by Annette Peacock, Carla Bley, Elephant’s Memory, Granicus, Lou Reed, and David Werner‘s 1974 classic Whizz Kid.

The cover of Boomerang features a sepia-toned image of an Indigenous Australian man standing on a patch of grass, holding two raised boomerangs in a combative stance. He wears a loincloth made of animal hide, and his pose—arms up, knees bent—suggests readiness or ritual. The image is stark and centered, with no background beyond the grass, giving it a confrontational, primal quality. The band’s name and album title are absent from the front, adding to the austere, enigmatic presentation.

A promo single paired “Mockingbird” with the non-album b-side “Montreal Jail,” a harder-edged track closer in spirit to Vanilla Fudge.

After Boomerang

Boomerang disbanded quietly after a string of underwhelming live performances and a shelved second album. Guitarist Rick Ramirez later surfaced in Seattle rockers Striker.

Stein resurfaced in the mid-to-late 1970s on albums by Tommy Bolin (Private Eyes), Dave Mason (Mariposa de Oro, Old Crest on a New Wave), and Les Dudek (Gypsy Ride). He rejoined Vanilla Fudge for their 1984 comeback album Mystery and appeared on the 1986 all-star metal charity single Hear ‘n Aid.

Discography: