Rodriguez: "Cold Fact"

Oh WOW!!  OG pressings of this record are rare as hen’s teeth in the states, when I found this for a measly $10 at one of my favorite Portland record stores I practically tripped over myself in bringing it to the counter for purchase.  I’d heard all the hype about Rodriguez when his two Sussex LP’s were reissued by Light In The Attic a few years back, but at that time I had other vinyl obsessions on my mind and was fairly oblivious to the luminous qualities of this cat’s unique brand of folk-rock.  Everything here is incredible, although “Sugar Man” and “Only Good For Conversation” are certainly the standout tracks, a fact not lost on modern progressive radio stations who played these tunes to death when the reissues first came out.  Rodriguez has a cynical, bitter bent to his writing that sets him apart from his wide-eyed, idealistic contemporaries in the folk-rock movement of the early ‘70’s, with Dennis Coffey’s distorted guitar and production skills proving the perfect foil for the bile lurking beneath the surface of the lyrics.  It really is no surprise that this album came out of Detroit, as the specific, pointed kind of grittiness found here is stock-in-trade for the Motor City sound.  This LP deserves a treasured place right next to your Stooges and Funkadelic records, more subtle perhaps than those bands but still completely comfortable in their company.