The Damnation of Adam Blessing - Glory (Reissue) (1973/2004)

Cleveland acid rock combo the Damnation of Adam Blessing was formed in 1968 from the ashes of a pair of local garage bands, the Society and Dust; led by frontman Adam Blessing (Bill Constable), the group also included guitarists Jim Quinn and Bob Kalamasz, bassist Ray Benich, and drummer Bill Schwark. After months of relentless local gigging -- often as the opener for hometown heroes the James Gang -- the Damnation of Adam Blessing signed to United Artists and issued their self-titled debut LP in 1969, followed by a tour in support of the Faces. Second Damnation followed a year later, generating the minor hit "Back to the River"; with their third album, 1971's Which Is Justice, Which Is the Thief, Schwark was replaced by Blessing's drummer brother Ken Constable. In 1973, the group renamed itself Glory, releasing a self-titled LP on the UA subsidiary Avalanche before disbanding. The Italian reissue imprint Akarma re-released all of the Damnation of Adam Blessing's albums in the early to mid-2000s as either straight-up re-releases or with additional bonus tracks. The label even released a reissue of the obscure Glory album and offered deluxe vinyl pressings of most of the CDs as well. ~ Jason Ankeny