I think this album came across my dashboard in the “Suggestions” section of Apple Music during my listen to that Fields album the other day, so I’m quite excited to give this one a listen. The group’s only album didn’t do well in the charts upon its release, and they subsequently broke up in 1968. According to Wikipedia, they were influenced by the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, and the Lovin’ Spoonful, which are all groups I dig a lot. One of the members went on to play with The Tubes, while others branched off in different works and artists as well like Goose Creek Symphony and Linda Ronstadt. With that, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“People In The Streets” starts out with some nearly eery electric guitar, which just has a sort of strange sound to it, and is incredibly intriguing. I really dig that acoustic guitar sound in the song. Oh wow, when the chorus ends the song sort of gets tied up really well by that strange guitar lick that is super reliable in nature. There was some really awesome fuzzy electric guitar that sort of comes through. It kind of reminds me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre played in a really pop-y way. The bass and drums really keep the song grooving, while the acoustic guitar really pulls things along. Oh wow, the false ending is super awesome.
“Crazy Town” has some great licks in the intro. The electric guitars remind me a bit of the mellotron from “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles. This song has a really nice vibe to it – there’s sort of a sunny disposition to it, which sort of gets balanced by the strange psychedelic-tinge the song has in it. I can definitely hear both Buffalo Springfield and the Lovin’ Spoonful.
Oh wow, “My Place” starts out with a really nice bop-y riff in the intro, and I’m really reminded a lot of The Beatles in this one. In fact, it sounds like a Beatles tune, countrified. The acoustic guitar gives the tune a nice little jangle, while the drums keep the tune chugging along, and the bass props the song up on tracks, and the electric guitar and vocals sort of cut through and steer the direction.
“Day And Night” has a really nice bop-y feel that honestly sounds a bit like the Liverpool Five album I listened to a little bit ago. There’s almost a little garage rock feel to this one. The song definitely has some nice flavor to it. The interplay between the guitars and vocals are really enamoring. The drums and bass play together so very nicely, really a nice song.
“Shameful Lady” has a really interesting feel to it – it’s definitely like a country type song played in a 60s psychedelic pop style. This album has been getting even more interesting as it continues playing. The drums and bass sound like a train in the way they keep rolling and bopping the song along. I really got lost in the playing on that one.
Oh wow, “Janie’s Place” has a really interesting psychedelic bluesy pop rock western desperado sort of feel to it. Wow, I’m not sure what exactly the instrument that the percussion is in this song, but they remind me of a horse sort of trotting on the ground with the way they sound. The electric guitar and bass are so incredibly simple, but they make the song feel so sturdy with the simple, synchronized playing. Really cool song.
Oh wow, “It’s Raining” sounds like a really neat little saloon rock and roll song. That bass just keeps walking up and down the tune while the drums give the tune a nice swing. Oh wow, it almost sounds like they have a kazoo playing in this song. The acoustic guitar sort of swirls things around from the background, while the electric guitar sort of gently melts some lines into the mix that accentuate the vocals and other instruments. Oh wow, that tempo change up in the short bridge really makes the song strange and very interesting. This is definitely a groovy little tune.
“Don’t Talk To Me” starts out with some syncopation between the acoustic guitar and the drums that sort of start to meet up as the song progresses. The electric guitar really adds some great flavor to the whole mix. Oh wow, that chorus has some awesome flavor to it. There’s a whole lot of feeling in this one coming from the vocals, and sounds quite personal in the way the vocals are performed. Wow, this song really sounds really nice. It sort of reminds me a bit of the Country Joe McDonald I listened to a few weeks ago. Really nice song.
“The Other Sidewalk” starts out in a really discordant way with the tri-tone chords being played by the guitar, but it keeps a positive feeling the whole time. Wow, the chorus has some great effects to the instrumentation, and great all around flavor to it. It sort of reminds me a little bit of Tim Buckley’s album, Lorca (1970), but definitely has a more upbeat feel from what I remember. Wow, it almost sounds somewhat sinister near the end of the song, and is super interesting. That crescendo at the end relieves a whole lot of tension, great tune.
“What’s The Hurry” has a very conclusive feeling to it, and the harmonica reminds me a lot of Bob Dylan, honestly. Wow, those guitars are definitely dreamy, especially the way they sort of sound like they’re falling down some chromatic chord progression. Honestly, it reminds me of “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” by Dylan with that chord progression, the harmonica, and the overall conclusive feel. The vocals are even a bit more conversational/talking in tone than it is in the rest of the album from what I can tell. Honestly a great way to end the album.
This was a very enjoyable half hour of music for me. It definitely had an almost raw feeling in a few tracks, and the album continued to build upon itself throughout the whole thing, making pit stops in different genres like country, rock and roll, folk, garage rock, and psychedelic pop, while gently weaving things together in a really interesting and neat way. If you enjoy genres like psychedelic pop or folk rock, I think this album might be appealing to your tastes. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A