Neurotic was a Cleveland area band that Rick Ray started in 1973 when he was 14 years old. With his brother John on bass, Rick Schultz on reeds and Harvey Phillips on drums, this band played jam-based rock around the Ohio area. Rick Ray later went on to play in The Rick Ray band, Riot Act, and recorded a dozen or more solo CDs. His guitar work is non-melodic, jazz tinged, power improvisation. The entire Neurotic sound is centered on Ray's guitar.
A long lost recording session has been uncovered and re-released. Mazy Craniacs was originally recorded in 1979, and although the original tapes were lost, a 10" tape of the sessions were found and used to burn this CD. The CD quality, as you would expect, is far from stellar. The mix is dense and blurred. The vocals on "O'Neil On My Face" are so poorly recorded that the song is almost annoying.
The songs on Mazy Craniacs follow the same pattern of rhythm section setting up the soloing and improvisation of Rick Ray's guitar. The songs themselves have some bright moments, but overall are not overly memorable. Ray borders on wanking on many tracks and at times loses site of where the song was going.
Neurotic wasn't any lost treasure that never got national attention, but instead were what many local bands of that time were, fun, touring musicians. This CD is recommended for any fan that wants to recapture some memory of seeing this young band playing live in the 70s.
Track Listing
1) Where The Wild Things Are (4:42)
2) Something A Little More Original (5:51)
3) Mazy Craniacs (6:28)
4) The Walrus (5:18)
5) O'Neil On My Face (5:04)
6) Connoisseurs In The Metal Field (5:57)
7) Scream (6:58)
8) Bomb Day (5:28)
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