Artist:     Damnations of Adam Blessing

Album:     Damnation of Adam Blessing / The Second Damnation

Label:     Exit Stencil/Universal Music

Release Date:     3.30.2018

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Damnation of Adam Blessing were a Cleveland band led by Adam Blessing and Jim Quinn. Like many bands of their time, in the late ’60s, they were regional, with their following and distribution mainly in the Midwest. The music of Adam Blessing was a cross between psychedelic and hard rock, much in the vein of Blue Cheer or the Amboy Dukes.

As a record collector and record store owner (Zig Zag Records) in Brooklyn, New York, I knew them, but Damnation of Adam Blessing were generally not well known in the Northeast. Record collectors got turned on to the band well after release and the albums became collector’s items, much like the Thirteenth Floor Elevators albums.

The reissue of the two records is excellent, true to the originals, which I owned. The inside sleeve is made to look like the two-track master box from Liberty/UA Recording Studio. The sound, taken from the original analog masters, is better than the original. The vinyl is first rate, with no clicks or pops. Damnations of Adam Blessing has given all the fans that missed them the first time around a chance buy these two legendry albums, and for the fans who already own these, it gives you a chance to get upgraded copies. Damnations of Adam Blessing has done their part in saving American music.

—Arnie Goodman