[Hidden Rarities #15] Bead Game

Bead Game was a band from Cambridge in Massachusetts, USA. They formed at the end of the 60s and immediately a good live activity started in the local area, especially in the Boston clubs. This allowed him to get a contract for AVCO Enbassy Records which released their debut album “Welcome” in 1970. In the same year they appeared in the film “The people next door.” The debut album is characterized by Early Prog sounds, with some Psychedelic reminiscence, sung by the drummer Jim Hodder, who died prematurely in 1990. Subsequently the recordings of the second album “Baptism” begin and will be released posthumously in 1996, due to the dissolution of the band. In 1972 Hodder agreed to move to Los Angeles to join Steely Dan, with whom he recorded the first three albums before his departure in 1974. There are three 1970 versions of the album “Welcome” all for AVCO Embassy, a Canadian , a Brazilian besides the American one. Only one CD reissue of 2007 for Fallout and one for Vida Records, a Venezuelan label of unknown date. A single “Sweet Medusa” from 1970 was also extracted for the AVCO Embassy, for promotional purposes only and very rare. While the second album “Baptism” which will see the light posthumously in 1996 was printed by American Sound Records on LP and CD and reissued in 2014 by Slipstream Records. An influential band for the time, which like many others covered in this editorial, had a short life, leaving us however an excellent album. The second one is lighter and less elaborate in the compositions, even if not completed in the recordings, therefore more for collectors and completists. I recommend researching and listening to lovers of Early Prog sounds, with slight Psychedelic traits, a rare and very pleasant album (the first).