Mud in Your Eye - Million (Reissue) (1972/2018)

...Unfortunately for the band (Acardi, singer/bass player Ronny Altaville, bassist Tony Donnifrio, drummer John Scaduto, and keyboardist Barry Taylor), their link to the dark world of tax scam labels seems to have come through Scaduto band manager Louis Lofredo. Scaduto had previously been in the band Aesop’s Fables who had recorded an album for Robert Gallo’s Mandala label. Signed to Mandala they apparently served as kind of a label house band, supporting a slew of other acts, including Ben E. King and The Vibrations. They also apparently provided concert tour support for various Mandala acts. Their Mandala stint also seemingly resulted in some demo material which were subsequently released on Gallo’s label; apparently without their knowledge or cooperation.
I’ve listed to 1972’s “Million” a dozen times and haven’t been able to wrap myself around it yet. This band were clearly quite talented, gifted with two talented lead singers in Acardi and Altaville and a first rate rhythm section in Donnifrio and Scaduto. Add to that, Gallo’s engineering and production gave the set a surprisingly clear and tight sound. At the same time, many of the album’s eclectic sound seemed to support the notion much of the material had been recorded as a series of demos. Most of the ten tracks (largely penned by Acardi), had a slightly rough, unfinished feel. Songs like 'Instructions’ and 'Jo Hutte’ also had kind of free-spirited, throwaway feel as if the were written for fun, with no intention of ever releasing them commercially. …..Bad Cat