On This Date (53 Years Ago): Cactus – ‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty’ Release

August 28, 1972 – Cactus released their final album ‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty’, a unique blend of live and studio recordings. The record peaked at #162 on the Billboard 200, marking the end of the band’s classic era.

Listen/Buy: Amazon Link

Cactus was first conceived in 1969, originally intended to feature Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, alongside Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert (bass) and Carmine Appice (drums). After lineup changes, the final core featured Bogert, Appice, guitarist Werner Fritzschings, keyboardist Duane Hitchings, and vocalist Peter French (ex-Atomic Rooster).

The album features a split:

• Side One: Recorded live on April 3, 1972, at the Mar y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico.

• Side Two: Recorded in the studio, showcasing the revamped lineup’s creativity.

Standout Tracks: Bad Mother Boogie, Bedroom Mazurka, Bad Stuff, Telling You

Reception:

• All Things Music Plus+: ★★★★½

• AllMusic: ★★★

• Record World (1972): Praised its “hot, sweaty, nasty heaviness” appealing to hard rock fans.

Tracklist:Side One – Swim, Bad Mother Boogie, Our Lil Rock-n-Roll ThingSide Two – Bad Stuff, Bringing Me Down, Bedroom Mazurka, Telling You, Underneath The Arches

Though ‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty’ didn’t reach massive commercial heights, it remains a cult favorite for blues-driven hard rock fans and stands as Cactus’s closing chapter of the 1970s.