In 1975, the American band Crack The Sky (CTS) broke onto the music scene with their groundbreaking eponymous album, hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine named ‘Debut Album of the Year’. CTS seemed destined for great success, however success proved more elusive than predicted. Formed near Pittsburgh, West Virginia, CTS was the brainchild of composer, guitarist, vocalist, and frontman John Palumbo. Their songs, characterized by frequent key and rhythm changes, often dark with sardonic lyrics, contrasted with the upbeat nature of the music.
Fast forward fifty years. In March 2025, Crack The Sky re-performed their entire debut album, in its original order, with three intimate performances at the Collective Encore theater in Columbia, Maryland. Four of the five original members returned, and digital recorders captured the magic of that iconic 1975 recording, with performances brimming with the same tightness, energy, and atmosphere that defined their 1975 classic.
CTS’ blend of rock, funk, prog, and art, makes them particularly difficult to categorize. Art rock and progressive rock seem the most fitting with long(er) songs featuring diverse styles, tempo and mood shifts, masterful harmony vocals, and all performed by extremely capable musicians who breathe new life into these well-crafted songs. This new live release, Live 1st Album 50th Anniversary, showcases their eclecticism in full.
The first two songs, Hold On and Surf City, played together, reveal a somewhat raw rock ‘n’ roll sound, with a twist, which lies somewhere between The Who and the Kinks, and featuring guitarists Jim Griffiths and Rick Witkowski. The audience loudly singing the lyrics of Surf City, strongly reminiscent of Tom Petty, are a metaphor for life’s changes.
In Sea Epic, an anti-war ballad, you can hear shades of Queen, while She’s a Dancer veers into Zappa territory, sharpened by Bill Hubauer (Neal Morse Band) saxophone, the lyrics explore a non-binary person. Robots for Ronnie begins as a solitary piano ballad transitioning into a 1930s pastiche, telling the story of a lonely boy whose parents worry for him.
The twelve‑minute Ice is the first track that could be labelled “progressive,” and not just because of its length, but thematically, dealing with an endless winter – lonely, cold, and dark. With fantastic drumming from Joey D’Amico and Joe Macre on bass, be sure to listen to the beautiful instrumental middle section with piano and synthesizer, and still room for expressive guitar solos.
Elsewhere, Mind Baby recalls The Knack and J. Geils Band with its funky guitar rock, while I Don’t Have a Tie delivers a short, pop‑tinged burst of duelling guitars. The closing track Sleep is a fragile, semi-acoustic, introspective ballad reflecting Palumbo’s personal struggles and the promise of dreams.
If you didn’t know better, you might mistake CTS’ raw energy for a garage band of 20‑somethings, however that raw energy oozes from the performance, which is meant as a compliment to the group whose average age is closer to 80 than 70. Okay, it’s not all prog, the music is way too eclectic, but it’s rock solid even fifty years later. Something many of their contemporaries would love to emulate I’m sure.
TRACK LISTING
01. Hold On/Surf City (11:00)
02. Sea Epic (6:53)
03. She’s A Dancer (4:52)
04. Robots For Ronnie (4:54)
05. Ice (11:40)
06. Mind Baby (4:46)
07. I Don’t Have A Tie (3:38)
08. Sleep (7:03)
Total Time – 54:46
MUSICIANS
John Palumbo – Guitars, Lead Vocals
Joe Macre – Bass
Rick Witkowski – Guitars, Vocals
Joey D’Amico – Drums
Bobby Hird – Guitars, Vocals
Bill Hubauer – Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Adobo Records
Country of Origin: USA
Date of Release: 20th June 2025
DISCOGRAPHY
– Live 1st Album 50th Anniversary (2025)
– From The Wood (2023)
– Tribes (2021)
– Vinyl Reissue (2020)
– Crackology (2018)
– Living In Reverse (2018)
– The Beauty Of Nothing (2015)
– Östrich (2012)
– Machine (2010)
– All Access dvd (2008)
– The Sale (2007)
– Alive And Kickin’ Ass (2006)
– Dogs From Japan (2004)
– Ghost (2001)
– The Best Of The Rest (And Then Some) (2000)
– Live Recher Theatre (2000)
– Cut (1998)
– Rare! (1994)
– Dog City (1990)
– From The Greenhouse (1989)
– Raw (1986)
– The End (1984)
– World In Motion I (1983)
– Photoflamingo (1981)
– Classic Crack (1980)
– White Music (1980)
– Safety By Numbers (1978)
– Live Sky (1978)
– Animal Notes (1976)
– Live On WBAB (1976)
– Crack The Sky (1975)
