Lazy Bones!!

Lazy Bones!! was the third album by the '70s Zambian band Witch. The group was part of the country’s Zamrock scene, a phenomenon that's been getting renewed attention in the ‘10s via reissues. Witch started off sounding like an exciting garage band and ended up playing rock with African elements; this 1975 release mixes hard rock with ’60s psych flavorings. “Black Tears” opens with gentle fuzztones blending with acoustic guitar before a boogie beat kicks in and the heavy riffing commences. “Motherless Child” evokes the Detroit-based band Rare Earth, another ‘70s outfit that mixed crunching rock and R&B. One section of “October Night” has a clearly African vibe that's mostly absent from the other material. The title track, perhaps the catchiest cut, has a swinging groove that’s irresistible. “Evil Woman” is a slice of scraggly psych that deftly deploys wah-wah. (The album's guitar playing is consistently inventive and sometimes downright wild.) “Little Clown” veers into perky pop, while the closer, “Up the Sky,” sports a steady chug that undergirds its melancholy vocals.