Neil Merryweather
Kryptonite

I reviewed Space Rangers by Merryweather yesterday, and today I take on Kryptonite, also reissued by Regain Records. Sometimes I see it referred to this band as Neil Merryweather & The Space Rangers, but the cover says only Neal Merryweather so I put it down to that in the title of my review. It has a Superman kind of look, and it was released in 1975, the year after Space Rangers. From what I can gather it seems to be a highly regarded album and compared with Space Rangers from the year before it is a more well-rounded album, it has a more coherent album structure that makes it a more pleasurable album to listen to.

It is the psychedelic, seventies rock that was heard on the previous album – space rockers like Hawkwind certainly comes to mind when listening to this one. And if I compare with the previous album, this one is more mature, more coherent, the album seems to be more structured to be a strong album rather than just a collection of songs. The sound is very seventies, the remastering stays true to the time period, it sounds nice and crisp. Good vocals, and decent variation through the album as well – it is an album that fly really well.

Considering that Merryweather passed away earlier this year, it was wise to release these two albums in the Space Rangers category. I think both these albums have merit, but if I were to select one of them it would be this one, as it is a better album with a higher overall quality. Kryptonite may not have the same highest level as there was on Space Rangers, but on the other hand it has nowhere near the same weaknesses and that makes Kryptonite the choice if I were to choose one of the two. Tracks like the title track stand out, but it doesn’t have a hit song that massively stand apart from the rest of the album as all the tracks are of a very high quality and there are no dull or really poor tracks on this one.

Sometimes the past catches up with us and points out that there were some good things back then as well. This album should probably have been a bigger success as it is one of the better on the psychedelic style of rock music from that period, it is an album with a fairly timeless quality that despite the distinct seventies sound doesn’t feel very dated. I think Merryweather really hit the spot with this one, he has made his mark in the world of music, and his music will feel relevant for a long time. I recommend Kryptonite, it would be a nice addition to any record collection.

HHHHHHH