Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Ruff Mix
Company: Ozone
Catalog: OZ-1 000
Year: 1975
Country/State: Bellaire, Texas
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: thin vinyl pressing
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5122
Price: $200.00
For those of you who take note of such factoids, this one's fairly rare; there were reportedly two pressings of 1,000 copies each. It's also in one of Hans Pokora's "Record Collector's Dreams" books (though I'm too lazy to go and look up which volume).
Formed in 1969 and hailing from the Houston suburb of Bellaire, the original Oz Knozz (pronounced Oz Ka' Nozz) line up consisted of drummer Jack Alford and brothers/multi-instrumentalists Bill and Duane Massey. They were apparently fairly popular on the local club scene, laboring on through a series of personnel changes over the next six years. By the time they got around to recording their 1975 debut album "Ruff Mix" the line up consisted of Bill on bass (credited in the liner notes as Newt Bildo), brother Duane on lead vocals and keyboards, lead guitarist Richard Heath, and drummer Marty Naul.
Released on their own Ozone label and produced by Bill (credited as William Davis Massey), the album featured eight Duane penned originals. Propelled by Heath's lead guitar and Duane's keyboards, musically the album was surprisingly varied and not what you'd expect to hear from a Houston-based mid-1970s outfit. The opening instrumental 'For Pat' and 'Second Time Blues' sounded like something out of the Dixie Dregs' jazz-rock fusion catalog, while 'Peanut Butter Yoni' and 'Love Poem' weren't that far removed from late-1970s AOR bands like Styx. Maybe a little more ragged, but anyone of that era or musical inclination will readily recognize the sound ... As lead singer Duane's high pitched delivery wasn't great, though anyone who was into Steve Perry or Dennis DeYoung probably wouldn't have had a problem with it. At least give him credit for not being as irritating as Geddy Lee. Certainly cutting edge when recorded, in retrospect synthesizer dominated tracks like 'For Pat' and much of the side two suite 'Doodley Squats #1, #2 and #3' sounded somewhat dated and cheesy (but then what doesn't age after 30 years...). 'Course those characteristics may have been part of the LP's quirky appeal.
"Ruff Mix" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) For Pat (instrumental) (Duane Massey) - 5:36
2.) Peanut Butter Yoni (Duane Massey) - 4:55
3.) Second Time Blues (Duane Massey) - 7:20
4.) Love Poem (Duane Massey) - 3:52
(side
2)
1.) Doodley Squat #1 (Duane Massey) - 4:15
2.) Doodley Squat #2 (Duane Massey) - 6:48
3.) Doodley Squat #3 (Duane Massey) - 4:12
4.) Last Song (Duane Massey) - 3:15
Elsewhere there's an EP (which I've never seen or heard) and at least one non-LP single 'Always There' b/w 'Goodbye Again' (Razz catalog number ).
Having moved on to play with Vince Vance and the Valiants (infamous for the early 1980s ditty 'Bomb, Bomb Iran'), guitarist Heath was killed in an early-1980s traffic accident.
The band is apparently still occasionally active (their last performances seems to have been in 2002).
Duane and his wife host a small but interesting web presence at: