All three of their studio LP's released during the early 70's are fantastic...some of the best bluesy hard rock you will ever hear in my opinion....every bit as good as Led Zeppelin (or better)...minus the mysticism, and Tolkien ramblings...just great hard rockin' blues at its very best. The closest Led Zep ever got to how tight Cactus were might have been on the 'Lemon Song'...Jone Paul Jone's bass lines were lifted directly from the Tim Bogert "School of How to Play the Bass Guitar" on that number. The Zep camp were obviously huge fans of Tim and Carmine's former band (Vanilla Fudge), as Plant and the boys used to open for them during the late 60's.
Cactus was comprised of the super tight rhythm section comprised of former Vanilla Fudger's Tim Bogert (bass) and Carmine Appice (drums...also a huge influence on the late Bonzo's playing style). Ex Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty, and former Amboy Dukes vocalist Rusty Day...
These are classic albums, and any fan of early 70's bluesy hard rock must own these!
'Cactus' (1970)...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/cactus/
'One Way Or Another' (1971)...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/one_way____or_another/
'One Way or Another' alternate album cover...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/one_way____or_another_f3/
'Restrictions' (1971)...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/restrictions/
The 1972 album titled 'Ot 'n' Sweaty has its moments too I suppose...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/ot_n_sweaty/
One side live...the other studio, but by this point a couple of the bands key members had already left...Rusty Day (vocals) being replaced by Brit vocalist Peter French, who had a great voice, but just didn't seem to fit IMO. Prior to joining Cactus, Peter could be heard singing with the 'Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band' (featuring former Fleetwood Mac members Bob Brunning/bass and Peter Green/guitar), 'Leafhound' (great band...check out the album 'Growers of Mushroom'), Atomic Rooster (another great band), Cozy Powell's band 'Big Birtha', and the German band 'Randy Pie' just prior to their demise. Jim McCarty (guitars) had also left Cactus by this point, with German born guitarist Werner Fritzschlings replacing him. He was a good enough player, but again...I felt he wasn't right for this band...possibly because much of what you hear on the Ot 'n' Sweaty album are covers of Cactus classics which originally featured Jim McCarty on guitar. Though Werner was perfect with an early 70's band called 'Red White & Blues Band'. To my knowledge, they never released an actual album...but I did see them open for Mountain in around '71, and they blew Leslie and the boys off the stage....
1972 saw 'The New Cactus Band', and their release titled 'Son of Cactus', which wasn't really Cactus at all, and featured former Blues Image/Iron Butterfly member Mike Pinera (guitars/vocals). The only remote connection this band ever had to Cactus, was Duane Hitchings (keyboards), who joined Cactus in '72 for the 'Ot 'n' Sweaty album. Other than that...it was just a very mellowed MOR version of three bands that were once great...Blues Image, Iron Buttefly, and Cactus...
Within the last few years a couple CDs featuring some vintage live Cactus gigs has been issued titled 'Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs' volumes 1 & 2...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/fully_unleashed__the_live_gigs/
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/fully_unleashed__the_live_gigs_vol__2/
The recordings are from the 1970/71 period, and are an excellent example of what these guys were capable of live. Had these recordings been released back in the early 70's...I'm sure they would have been held in the same high regard as other classic live albums of the time such as Humble Pie's 'Performance: Rockin The Filmore', Deep Purples 'Made in Japan', and Grand Funk Railroads 'Live' album...these Cactus CD's are also "Must Haves" for the hard rock 'Live' collector!
The 2006 reunion album titled 'V' was surprisingly good by the way...
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cactus/v/
The lineup consisted of Tim Bogert (bass) Carmine Appice (drums), Jim McCarty (guitars), and vocalist Jimmy Kunes replacing Rusty Day who was killed during the early 80's...a result of a cocaine related shooting.
Anyone who's ever owned a vinyl (not available on CD) copy of Savoy Brown's double live 1981 LP titled 'Greatest Hits Live in Concert' knows how great Jimmy's voice is. He also toured with Canadian 80's thrash band 'Exciter', and is currently fronting 'Love Train' which also features former 'Riot' guitarist Rick Ventura...
So...I'd say forget about the "2 best albums" and go for their first three studio releases, along with the 'Unleashed-Live Gigs' CD's...
You really can't have two without the others :)
Lol..."the Pinera stuff"? "Much later"? 'The New Cactus Band' which featured Mike Pinera released one sole LP in 1973 (hardly what I'd call much later...9 months)...and it was abysmal....any listener with two fully functional ears who has actually heard the LP would agree. How anyone could even begin to compare the McCarty/Day/Bogert/Appice era 'Cactus' with "the Pinera stuff" (stuff, meaning one LP, without any actual members of Cactus) is beyond me...like comparing Kobe Beef to an Oscar Mayer hot dog...seriously.
Mike Pinera was great...but he failed miserably on that album, even he would agree...
But what do I know?