I’ve only ever checked out a few songs by The Blues Magoos quite a while ago, but I figured it’d be a nice night to check out an entire album by them. This album, Psychedelic Lollipop (1966), is their first album. The Blues Magoos were a sort of psychedelic blues/garage rock band from the Bronx, with their initial formation in 1964 and lasting until about 1970 with some minor changes to the lineup here and there. This album reached #21 on the U.S. pop charts, and the first song on the album reached #5 as a single. I’m pretty stoked to give this one a listen, so I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” starts out really going strong with some really smokin’ psychedelic sounds that get the band firing on all cylinders, with slight undertones of some sort of western desert sounds. This is definitely a really nice and groovy introduction to this album. I really dig that guitar work that seems to have some sort of dissonant harmony to itself. Oh wow, the guitar is super sweet. Great tune.
“Love Seems Doomed” starts out with a bit of an ominous, nearly melancholic psychedelic tone that sort of reminds me a little bit of some sort of mixture between The Doors and Love (the band). Oh wow, the tune evolves into a really pleasant two step of sorts for a moment. Holy smokes, the band really brings this one out there with some experimental psychedelic sounds underneath a really melodic guitar part. The organ really moves the tune around well from the background. The bass really strings the tune along the pleasant drum line in the background. Really nice tune.
“Tobacco Road” has a super strong psychedelic blues sound – and really reminds me of Chicago blues bands of the era. Oh wow, this tune gets jamming really nicely with a psychedelic progression between the droning organs the garage rock guitar that almost sputters around in different directions. Oh wow, it almost takes off in an experimental surf rock direction and I really dig it. The tune carries itself with an almost proto-punk rock energy. Holy smokes, this one drops right back into that main bluesy line super nicely after that jam. The chaotic energy at the end is nearly tangible. Great tune.
“Queen of My Nights” has such a pleasant sound that really hits a lot of tension-relieving notes after the previous track got so chaotic. This tune still definitely takes on a more unpolished garage rock sound, but it’s definitely one that nearly serenades the listener with the pleasant jangling acoustic sound from the guitars mixed with reliably melodic parts from the organ and electric guitar. The bass guitar has a super nice fat sound too that sounds like more of a punk rock bass part. The snare has a really nice looseness to this one too. Really nice tune.
Oh wow, “I’ll Go Crazy” sounds like a classic rock and roll tune put together with some bluesy stylings and a psychedelic organ to top it all off. The guitar really reminds me of early rock guitarists like Duane Eddy or Link Wray. There’s almost a bit of surf rock sound in the descending melody from the guitar part. Really sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Gotta Get Away” has some great flavor right away with some jangling, raw sounding instrumentation all melded together in some psychedelic stylings. It really reminds me a bit of Them. Oh wow, this tune really evolves quite a bit over the song by adding little accentuations and further developing the different instrumental parts throughout. Really sweet tune.
“Sometimes I Think About” has an almost psychedelic solemnity to it. I’m reminded a bit of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” with the overall sound and progression. Wow, this tune is definitely super tasty, lacing together both blues and psychedelia quite nicely. There’s a descending feeling from the drums and bass while the bright organs swirl and seemingly lift you up. Holy smokes, this electric guitar part is epic in nature. I really want to grab my guitar and jam along to this super flavorful song. Wow, this tune has such a nice weight behind the playing. Really great tune.
“One By One” starts in an almost carnivalesque fashion with those playful organs before giving way to a really pleasant psychedelic groove. The bright guitar really fleshes out the melody nicely while the descending bass line connects the steady rockin’ drums in a whirl. I really dig the tone of the electric guitar in this one, possibly because it reminds me of the early days of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia’s guitar tone. Really groovy tune.
“Worried Life Blues” has s super tasty, groovy psychedelic blues feel to this one, which definitely leans more psychedelic than necessarily blues. I think it’s in a major key, so it still has a bit of an optimistic feel to it. Wow, the bluesy guitar has a really creamy tone that nearly melts into the tune. The humming really adds a great layer to this one. Holy smokes, those organs are going in on this one. Wow, this tune really comes to a slow building bluesy crescendo at the end of the tune that starts wrapping the album up really nicely.
“She’s Coming Home” has a super groovy jam feel right at the beginning of this one. The band really feels like they’re letting some notes hang out with some force before wrangling them back into place. This tune really feels like the band is really had fun with it. The song definitely evolves to a nice exclamation point on the album. Really nice tune.
Wow, I’m glad I finally checked out some more of The Blues Magoos, and I’ll definitely check out more of their discography soon. There’s a really high energy throughout that serves this mixture of blues rock, psychedelic rock, and garage rock quite nicely. If you enjoy early psychedelic rock and/or garage rock, this is an album you might want to consider checking out. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A