Swamp Gas

Swamp Gas' sole album was pretty undistinguished period early-'70s rock fare, eclectic but lacking in strong songwriting or decisive direction. Largely written by guitarist Baird Hersey, there was a nearly even mixture of muscular hard rock tunes and mellow, acoustic-toned folk-rockers that sounded like they could have been the work of a different band. Those hard rockers often did use tempo changes, jazz-tinged rhythms, and multi-section structures, the guitar work on "Don't" slightly reminiscent of some of Jerry Garcia's. Yet "The Waiting E Train Blue" and "Egg Shells" (with sitar) were more like the kind of acoustic-oriented filler one of the guys in Crosby, Stills & Nash would have put in one of their solo projects. Some of CSN's influence seeped into more conventional rockers like "Trapped in the City," too, though Kim Ornitz's brawny vocals weren't either too suitable for such material or too pleasing in and of themselves. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide