Acme Thunder - "Let's All Get Naked"1978.US Private Press.
Chicago's Acme Thunder sprang from the ashes of area group, Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah in 1977. Where AHJ were decidedly hippy influenced, Acme Thunder were unquestionably a full on rock outfit. With essentially the same lineup as AHJ, the band enlisted Harvey Mandel on lead guitar and soon, their debut "Let's All Get Naked" was issued the following year. Though Acme Thunder were a credible act in and around the Chicago area, the addition of Mandel helped elevate the band to a whole other level musically. Having a successful solo career for many years, as well as ties to artists like Canned Heat, John Mayall, The Ventures and Love, Mandel's expertise was an instrumental factor in the development of the band's new sound.
Strangely enough though, the band only lasted two years before fizzling out completely. Aliotta continued in music primarily as a session player, Haynes went on to form his own publishing company and has issued a drug rehabilitation self-help album. Jeremiah is living near St. Louis, but his musical activities are unknown at this time. Mandel continues to thrive as a solo artist.
"Let's All Get Naked" is a respectable effort with a rather schizophrenic viewpoint. Swaying from bluesy rock to hard rock to glossy pop, the album doesn't quite know where it's going. The highlights are undoubtedly the rock tracks like "If I Only Had a Girl", "Go Like a Beast" and "Flowers". Several of the cuts including the fusion jam "Mexico", lack the presence of strong hooks, rendering the overall impression of this album as a bit lopsided in the quality department. Despite the magnificent musicianship here, the album fails to stand up on its own as a whole. Taken in parts, however, "Let's All Get Naked" is an interesting excursion into many genres. Never issued on compact disc, here's a sweet vinyl transfer straight from the archives..
