This album came across my dashboard on another binge of adding music after listening to The Freeborne recently. I had never heard of The Jelly Bean Bandits, which isn’t necessarily surprising as they have sort of existed in some obscurity since their debut album back in 1967 with Mainstream Records. The band scored a three record deal after sending Mainstream Records a demo of their only three songs, though Mainstream didn’t know that at the time according to what I can see on the internet. The band split up during the making of their second LP, but that didn’t stop this album from being listened to by more and more people throughout the ages. This seems like it’s going to be an interesting listen, so I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Country Women” immediately has a super groovy feel to it with the groove of the drums. Everything in the music feels so laid back and self-assured. That bass line really keeps the song rolling along while the rhythm guitar sort of churns things up alongside the electric organ. Then throw in some super tasty guitar licks from the lead electric guitar and the song has all the elements to a super groovy tune. The vocals move about in the soundscape in a super cool way too, definitely an exciting start to the album.
“Generation” is a super intriguing song right away with extremely high energy. Oh wow, there’s some sort of UFO-ness to this one – definitely super intriguing. There’s a massive feedback sound at the beginning that really sets the mood for the song, and it’s super groovy, honestly. There’s a really interesting garage rock feel to this, while still having a nice layer of psychedelia to it. I really dig the keyboards near the end, alongside the drums and how they’re sort of folding everything together.
“Poor Precious Dreams” has a little bit of a dark feel to it at the beginning. Oh wow, the rhythm guitar sort of works through a little staccato’d riff and releases a lot of tension when the notes breathe alongside the organs, then reverts back to the staccato’d playing style as the song continues. The little electric guitar solo was super slick. Definitely a great high energy tune.
“Another August Revisited” has a super sincere, almost garage rock ballad type of feel to it. I really dig how the drums are mixed in this one with a nice, steady, assured beat. The bass really shines at times with the caressing playing, echoing the sentiment of the vocals quite well. The guitar part seems to just happen so naturally with the flow of the song – really nice song.
“Going Nowhere” sort of keeps the caring feel of the previous song going, though this one has a bit more intensity in approach in a certain sense. Oh wow, that quick little instrumental break where the lead guitar gets some licks in alongside a neat drum break is super tasty and leaves me wanting more. Oh wow, and that outro provides that extra guitar. Definitely a cool little tune.
“Happiness Girl” starts out with a super groovy intro lick from just the electric guitar, but the following playing by the electric guitar and the organ feels so natural the way the playing olds together. Those little parts from the organ give it a really dream-like momentary feel.
“Goodtime Feeling” has a super interesting feel to it with the vocal lines at the beginning. Oh wow, I’m not even sure what the genre of this song is. It’s like some sort of psychedelic bubblegum country rock that switches to some psychedelic garage rock with ease. Definitely an incredibly intriguing tune.
“September Rain” has a super sweet feel to it. The vocal performance feels like it’s something in the style of a Jim Morrison, like being sung to directly. There’s definitely a really interesting, melancholic, almost mournful feel to it. Definitely a really sweet tune.
“Neon River” has a super interesting psychedelic river sort of feel with the drums sort of banging you further down the river. I really dig the bopping bass line alongside the rhythm guitar. Oh wow, the lead guitar really gets some super psychedelic licks in from the background while the song reaches little peaks and valleys. The organs seem to keep the song flowing alongside the drums. The vocals definitely have an interesting guiding feel to them. Really cool song.
“Plastic Soldiers” has an interesting feel to it – it’s almost like some sort of psychedelic folk feel. There’s a ton of range in genre throughout the album, while still keeping a consistent feel throughout. I really dig the ways the vocals seem to be peering through different parts of the soundscape. The bass line and tambourine (?) keep things grooving along while the vocals and lyrics take things pretty far out there. The organs and rhythm guitar seem to be having a little gentle jam session in which neither take really the lead, but constantly play off the other.
“Say Mann” has a really interesting vibe to it, almost like the album is coming to an end. I’m pretty surprised that the album is already nearing the end – time has certainly flown by. I got lost in this one a bit, definitely a groovy little tune.
“Tapestries” has a super cool feel to it right away – dream-like, and definitely has that self-assured feeling. There’s a really great tone to the vocals in this one – a certain polished sweetness. Things seem to fade away into a dream as the song plays some dreamy tones and fades out. The song ties the end of the album up really well, and does so in a really groovy way.
I can see why this album is somewhat of a cult classic online. There’s an incredible amount of range in genre, while still keeping a sort of consistent garage rock feel throughout. The album hits notes of country, pop, folk, and more, while keeping a psychedelic feel at the same time. If you enjoy garage rock or psychedelic rock at all, you might find yourself enjoying this one. If you do decide to give it a listen, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A