Swamp Dogg - 1972 Cuffed, Collared, & Tagged

Of the early albums of Swamp Dogg this is easily the one most often overlooked, maybe the tame cover is responsible. The music and songs remain smart, edgy, funny and angry. Listen carefully to the lyrics of Sam Stone, this song could have come from the pen of Gil Scott-Heron or Bob Dylan (it comes from John Prine). The radio wasn't ready for this song in 1972, the story was too strong, too real...in this era of a whole new wave of broken young men returning home to little hope, it could have been written yesterday.

Dogg follows with perhaps the strangest post apocalyptic pop ballad ever sung, 'Complication No. 5' (well it IS a somewhat limited catagory!). A funkified Lady Madonna follows and the Beatles lyrics fit seamlessly into spirit of this album. 'You Say You Trust Your Mother' offers another powerful commentary of the state of man in America followed by a funky good time nod to friend and influence Sly Stone.

 "I'm gonna be the first one at the graveyard, baby, I want to see the beautiful groove...I'm gonna throw the first shovel of dirt right down on you and make sure you know!" One of the best pissed-off breakup song lines ever from 'Your Last Dirty Trick' which opens side 2 - more good stuff follows but the most notable is 'Captain Of Your Ship', a song with some hit potential to my ear if done by someone like Pickett. Easy to see why the 'industry' would hate on this.