Cactus -

Cactus was an American hard-rock|blues band that released four albums between 1970 and 1972 on Atco. Drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tim Bogert hailed from psych-rockers Vanilla Fudge. After Cactus, the pair teamed with guitarist Jeff Beck in the power-trio Beck, Bogart and Appice.

Members: Carmine Appice (drums), Tim Bogert (bass, 1970-2008), Rusty Day (vocals, 1970-71), Peter French (vocals, 1971-72), Duane Hitchings (keyboards, 1971-72), Jim McCarty (guitar, 1970-71), Werner Fritzschings (guitar, 1971-72)

Background

Cactus formed as an offshoot of Vanilla Fudge, a Long Island psychedelic rock quartet that released five albums between 1967 and 1969 on Atco. Upon their breakup, Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert planned a new group with Jeff Beck, who’d just dissolved his band with (subsequent Faces) Ron Wood and Rod Stewart. However, Beck sustained bone fractures in a late-1969 car accident.

With Beck sidelined indefinitely, Appice and Bogert formed the first Cactus lineup with two Detroit natives: guitarist Jim McCarty and singer Rusty Day.

McCarty (not the Yardbirds|Renaissance drummer) first recorded with Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and served in the 1968–69 lineup of the Buddy Miles Express. Day cut the 1966 small-press single “I Gotta Move” and fronted the Amboy Dukes on their 1969 third album Migration.

Cactus

Cactus released their self-titled debut album on July 1, 1970, on Atco.

The album contains six originals by vocalist Rusty Day, guitarist Jim McCarty, bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Carmine Appice. Side A opens with covers of Mose Allison’s “Parchman Farm” and closes with the Willie Dixon-penned Bo Diddley hit “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover.” They also tackle “Bro. Bill,” a miscredited cover of the Leiber–Stoller–Charles Otis blues number.

The remainder comprises band-written material, including “My Lady From South of Detroit,” “Let Me Swim,” and the closing numbers “Oleo” and “Feel So Good.”

Cactus features Day on vocals and harmonica, McCarty on guitar, Bogert on bass, and Appice on drums.

A1. “Parchman Farm” (3:05)
A2. “My Lady From South of Detroit” (4:20)
A3. “Bro. Bill” (5:10)
A4. “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover” (6:44)

B1. “Let Me Swim” (3:50)
B2. “No Need to Worry” (6:00)
B3. “Oleo” (4:49)
B4. “Feel So Good” (6:00)

Sessions occurred between October and December 1969 at Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios in Hempstead, New York. Cactus produced the album with engineer Bill Stahl and remix supervision by Jackson Howe. Gene Paul handled the remix.

Cactus appeared in a standard sleeve with art direction and photography by Mark L. Rollins Jr.

Atco issued “Let Me Swim” as the album’s lead single. Cactus reached No. 54 on the Billboard 200 and No. 43 on the Canadian RPM Top Albums chart.

One Way…or Another

Cactus released their second album, One Way…or Another, on February 24, 1971, on Atco.

The album contains six originals by vocalist Rusty Day, guitarist Jim McCarty, bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Carmine Appice. Side A opens with a slowed-down take on the 1956 Little Richard classic “Long Tall Sally,” followed by four band compositions, including “Rock n’ Roll Children” and the multipart jam “Big Mama Boogie.” Side B includes a cover of the 1954 Chuck Willis R&B ballad “Feel So Bad,” surrounded by originals such as “Hometown Bust” and the closing title track. McCarty takes a solo spotlight on the instrumental “Song for Aries.”

One Way… or Another features Day on harmonica and all lead vocals apart from the Bogert-sung “Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like.”

A1. “Long Tall Sally” (6:27)
A2. “Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like” (3:56)
A3. “Rock N’ Roll Children” (5:40)
A4. “Big Mama Boogie – Parts I & II” (4:59)

B1. “Feel So Bad” (5:30)
B2. “Song for Aries” (3:05)
B3. “Hometown Bust” (6:38)
B4. “One Way… or Another” (5:05)

Sessions occurred between 1970 and 1971 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City with producer credit to Cactus. Veteran engineer Eddie Kramer recorded the album with assistance from Dave Palmer and John Jansen. Mastering was handled at both Atlantic Studios and Sterling Sound by RL and GP.

One Way… or Another appeared in a single sleeve with cover and liner photography by Alan Azzolino and Jim Cummins, respectively. Cactus also handled the design.

Atco lifted “One Way… or Another” as the album’s lead single. The album reached No. 88 on the Billboard 200 and No. 69 on the Canadian RPM Top Albums chart.

Restrictions

Cactus released their third album, Restrictions, on October 18, 1971, on Atco.

The album contains seven originals and one cover. Vocalist Rusty Day co-wrote all the band’s contributions, including “Guiltless Glider,” “Alaska,” and the closing number “Mean Night in Cleveland.” “Restrictions” and “Token Chokin’” both stem from Day’s songwriting partnership with drummer Carmine Appice. Guitarist Jim McCarty co-wrote four tracks, including “Bag Drag” and “Sweet Sixteen.” The band covers “Evil,” a 1954 blues standard by Willie Dixon, popularized by Howlin’ Wolf.

Restrictions is the last of three albums by the classic Cactus four-piece of Rusty Day, Jim McCarty, Tim Bogert, and Carmine Appice.

A1. “Restrictions” (6:17)
A2. “Token Chokin’” (3:07) – features guest slide guitar by Ron Leejack.
A3. “Guiltless Glider” (8:45)

B1. “Evil” (3:14)
B2. “Alaska” (3:38) – includes piano by Albhy Galuten.
B3. “Sweet Sixteen” (3:17)
B4. “Bag Drag” (5:11)
B5. “Mean Night in Cleveland” (2:10)

Sessions occurred in 1971 across multiple studios: Electric Lady Studios, Atlantic Studios (both in New York City), and Criteria Studios (Miami). Geoffrey Haslam produced the album, which was engineered and remixed at Electric Lady and mastered by RL at Sterling Sound.

Restrictions appeared in a single sleeve with cover art by Patrick D’Angelo and back cover photography by Jeff Mayer.

Atco lifted “Token Chokin’,” “Evil,” “Alaska,” and “Sweet Sixteen” as singles.

‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty

Cactus released their four album, ‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty, on August 28, 1972, on Atco.

This was the band’s final album before a decades-long hiatus. It marks the debut of a revamped lineup featuring guitarist Werner Fritzschings, keyboardist Duane Hitchings, and vocalist Peter French (ex–Atomic Rooster, Leaf Hound), alongside founding rhythm players Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice.

Side A was recorded live at the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico on April 3, 1972, and features three high-octane performances: a reworking of their debut-era jam “Let Me Swim” (here retitled “Swim”), the stomping “Bad Mother Boogie,” and the sprawling “Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing.” Side B consists of studio tracks cut at Media Sound, Electric Lady Studios, and Atlantic Studios in New York.

A1. “Swim” (4:40) – live version of “Let Me Swim” from their 1970 debut.
A2. “Bad Mother Boogie” (4:55) – subtitled “Big Mama Boogie – Part II,” a follow-up to One Way… or Another.
A3. “Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing” (6:25)

B1. “Bad Stuff” (3:08) – co-written by Peter French and Johnson.
B2. “Bringing Me Down” (5:27)
B3. “Bedroom Mazurka” (4:33)
B4. “Telling You” (5:10)
B5. “Underneath the Arches” (0:30) – brief closing tribute to the Flanagan and Allen music hall standard.

Sessions were overseen by producer Geoffrey Haslam and engineered by Jimmy Douglass, Dave Palmer, Michael DeLugg, and others. Side A was recorded by Wally Heider’s mobile unit; final mixes were handled at Electric Lady Studios.

‘Ot ‘N’ Sweaty appeared in a single sleeve with the subheader “On Stage in Puerto Rico and In the Studio.” The front and back cover photography is uncredited. This album marked the end of Cactus’ original run.

Post-Cactus

Following Cactus’s 1972 split, bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice joined guitarist Jeff Beck in the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice, releasing one studio album and a Japan-only live disc before disbanding in early 1974. Meanwhile, vocalist Rusty Day attempted to revive the Detroit rock scene by fronting a new version of Detroit, featuring future Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines. Their brief run yielded one known document, The Driftwood Tapes, captured live in 1973.

Keyboardist Duane Hitchings formed The New Cactus Band without any original members, issuing the Son of Cactus album in 1973 before disbanding. In 1976, Rusty Day formed a new Cactus lineup in Florida with guitarist Steve Dansby, bassist John Sauter, and drummer Gary Moffatt; despite live activity through 1979, no studio recordings have surfaced. Tragically, on June 3, 1982, Day and his son were murdered in their Longwood home in an unsolved double homicide.

Discography: