The Maze

A little-known ensemble from the San Francisco region produced a solitary, exceedingly scarce LP titled Armageddon during 1968. This recording took place at Leo Kulka's Golden State Recorders and appeared via the MTA label, commanding significant worth among particular collector communities. Far from constituting a remarkable discovery, the outfit instead exemplified certain fleeting indulgences characteristic of that era. Initially tracking material as Stonehenge alongside a woman singer, they later adopted their better-known designation and generated substantially more songs than fit on one album, with several appearing on Sundazed's 1995 compact disc re-release of Armageddon. Their entirely self-penned compositions highlighted prominent organ work, extended distorted guitar leads, gloomy intoxicated singing, and melodies in minor keys, evoking Iron Butterfly's style yet lacking comparable theatricality. Wayne Gardner authored nine of the ten tracks on Armageddon, while J. Jensen, C. Boyd, and Richard Eittreim shared credit for the remaining pair. Gear Fab's Psychedelic Crown Jewels, Vol. 1 from 1997 featured a different version of the Wayne Gardner-penned "Whispering Shadows."