Joshua - Opens Your Mind (Reissue) (1969/2004)

When you think of 60's California music, Sacramento doesn't immediately come to mind. But the state capitol had a fertile music scene giving birth to mind-melters Blue Cheer who paved the way for Joshua. Fronted by singer Mick Martin, Joshua were at the center of a scene that, for the most part, ignored the 'flower power' shenanigans going on up north and worshiped at the altar of heavy Rock n Roll.

Along with other locals like Slo Lois, and Jericho (not to be confused with the Isreali/London band of the same name), Joshua created guitar lead, blues based rock music that sang about current events of the day. Drugs & war. While the band never released an album back in the day, they did record an albums worth of material, along with some live material recorded at some legendary live shows that took place at University of California at Davis. Anti-War lyrics that still ring true today can be heard on cuts like "The Fist", "G.I. Peace", and "No Country", while expanding your mind with drugs is exposed in the title track, "Opens your Mind."

With heavier guitar crunches like another release of the day, Stone Garden, and the band were good friends and gig-mates of Blue Cheer, which you can most definitely hear examples of within.
It was finally released on Rockadelic with a thick gatefold cover with liner notes by Mick Martin with lots of photos that compliment the full color cover.
This is a totally unknown band that should not be confused for other bands of the same name that may have released albums in the past.