ODA – Oda LP

Description

“Of the plethora of touted ‘private press hard rock monsters’ out there, very few live up to the swaggering riff-fury of west coast blastersODA. Commonly known as the ‘Black Album,’ the first clobbering platter by the quartet was released on their own tiny Loud Phonograph Records imprint and now commands large sums — but is actually worth the heavy hype. The band naturally centered aroundRandy Oda, a multi-talented ax shredder and keyboardist, and the lineup was filled out by his brotherKevinon drum assault,Art Pantojaon lead bellows and rhythm guitar, and galloping bassistKyle Schneider. ODA was influenced by hard UK rockers likeDeep Purple,Zep,Free, and theWho, and they gigged all over the Bay Area, with Randy garnering comparisons toJeff Beck‘s molten six-string mastery. This 1971 self-titled LP (aka the ‘Black Album’) fully displays their blistering talents, but despite some local airplay on KSAN radio, the band packed it in by ’73. This would not be the end of the Oda story, as Randy joinedCCR‘sTom Fogertyin the outfitRubyafterwards, laying down his licks on two LPs that flirted with the mainstream, while staying true to his highly electric guitar muse. In the 2000s, Randy would start another band with his brother calledOPOwhich means ‘to lay a foundation’ in Hawaiian, and ODA would reform to play a benefit in 2015 along with other obscure and heady/heavy Bay Area rockers likeSavage ResurrectionandCountry Weather(some live footage of the event shows the band still rocking hard). At last, Riding Easy is legitimately reissuing ODA’s first smoking, gargantuan LP with bonus tracks, so crank this one up in the ’70s Camaro with the windows open, and some dirt weed joints a-blazin’.”