“Attic Demonstration” was not really meant to be a polished album when it was finished in 1976. Kenneth Higney’s hope, as a writer more than a performer, was that it would catch the ears of established artists so that they might license his songs and cover them.

Listening to the record now, which has just been reissued, it’s hard to imagine that many musicians would immediately think to project themselves onto Higney’s work. Some of the tracks begin as easygoing folk-rock ditties before roaring, buzzing guitar solos charge in. Others, like the “No Heavy Trucking,” rollick anxiously over Higney’s erratic guitar. A rough-around-the edges group of songs, its rhythms often hold together loosely, while Higney’s voice often strains and warbles. He recorded most of his tracks in one or two takes, a method he still prefers.