Week of March 11, 2007
Personnel:
Bill Jones – Bass
Bob Michalski – Drums
Joe Periano – Guitar
Dennis Webber - Keyboards
Album:
Gospel According To Zeus (Rare Earth 516) 1970
CD: Buy Or Die/TRC BOD109, 1995, Germany
One of the more obscure hard rock acts of the early 70s, Detroit's Power
Of Zeus became the first hard rock group to sign and record for Motown
subsidiary Rare Earth, but theirs was hardly a successful relationship. The band
that would become Power Of Zeus was formed in 1968 by vocalist/guitarist
Joe Periano, shortly after his release from the Marine Corps and while working
at a Chrysler plant outside Detroit. A newspaper ad brought him together with
bassist/vocalist Bill Jones, drummer Bob Michalski, and, through a moneymaking
side gig with a local country band, Hammond organist Dennie Webber. Drawing most
of their inspiration from British hard rock and heavy metal titans like Cream,
Black Sabbath
and Led Zeppelin, as well as the era's pervasive psychedelic stereotypes,
the quartet -- then going by the name of Gangrene -- became the unofficial house
band at the Wooden Nickel club, where they were eventually spotted by a local
manager.
Motown soon signed the band on the condition they find a new name, so both
parties came up with Power Of Zeus shortly before starting work on 1970's
“The Gospel According to Zeus” LP. Although it failed to find an audience
upon its release (the blame was generally laid on Motown's inexperience with
recording and marketing heavy rock), the album has since become a hard-sought
collector's piece and sampling favorite among crate-digging hip-hop producers.
Of course, none of this did Power Of Zeus much good at the time, and
internal squabbles over musical direction and drug abuse soon split up the
group. Periano moved on to briefly work for Motown, produced a Luther Allison
album and spent a few years performing live with ex-Temptation David
Ruffin before retiring from the road. Sadly, Webber died from a drug overdose in
the mid-80s and Michalski followed him a decade later because of a brain tumor.
Ed Rivadavia
All Music Guide
Discography and line-up taken from: Fuzz, Acid & Flowers - American Garage, Psychedelic & Hippie Rock 1964-1975