Boomerang was set-up as ex-Vanilla Fudge vocalist and organist Mark Stein’s rebound band (or “boomerang band,” as it were); but it never matched the popularity, nor longevity, enjoyed by his former bandmates, Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, with the rival Cactus.

This self-titled 1971 LP (and a rumored, unreleased follow-up) is all that’s remains of the short-lived quartet, and the thing I find most striking is how much Stein’s bluesy wail reminds me of a young David Coverdale – all of three years before Cov was even discovered by Deep Purple.

See if you agree after taking a spin through cuts like “Fisherman,” “Brother’s Comin’ Home” and “Juke It,” which is easily the star of the show, here, with its forceful start-stops.

Oh, and it doesn’t end there: am I the only one who thinks the organ-driven “Mockingbird” bears an almost freaky resemblance to Purple Mk. IV and Come Taste the Band, – especially once Stein starts trading lead vocals with bassist Jo Casmir, just like Coverdale and Glenn Hughes would later do. 

Eerie! (Or conspiracy theory time, take your pick.)

Finally, Boomerang had quite the guitar stud in teenaged New Yorker Ricky Ramirez, who seems to have vanished from historical record following this release, but not before showing tons of versatility here, including a nifty backwards solo in the folksy “Hard Times,” before really letting rip on the closing “The Peddler.”