rub-a-dub-dub

I have found the most amazing album from 1970, the self-titled album by Troyka. It was 50c in an op shop in Westmeadows, along with twenty or so other albums none of which could possibly be as good as this (I admittedly haven't listened to them all, yet). This is a scintillating record.

Troyka were Bob, Mike and Rumor (aka Ron). Mike was the drummer and lead singer, always a sign of quality, and they all sang. They were Canadian (possibly from Edmonton, but who knows, that's where their album was recorded). The album was co-produced by Shel Kagan, who produced the Velvet Underground's starkly inferior Loaded the same year. What Troyka's angle was is very hard to tell but the least impressive track, the second on side one, 'Natural', sounds uncomfortably like 'Sunshine of Your Love'. They do have the power trio angle, between Cream and ZZ Top. But at the same time they have amazing slavic interludes ('Troyka Lament', 'Troyka Solo' etc) and sometimes they sound more like Primus than anything ('Rub-a-dub-dub Troyka in a Tub', 'Rolling Down the Back Road). But in a good way. Other times they sound like Uncle Wiggly ('Life's OK') or Sebadoh or some other east coast US indie band of the late 90s. The front cover shows them skinny and in jeans and duffel coats or parkas against a wintry landscape and their name in solid dependable cartoon letters in the the sky.

I could listen to this record all day, and quite possibly will, except I have to go back to the Westmeadows op shop in question later today and retrieve the remainder of the albums I wanted but didn't have the requisite $3 for at the time.