Formed in New York City in 1967, this psychedelic rock band produced only one album before splitting up in 1969. The album received solid reviews, but they never released a single or had the backing of a major label in order to drive publicity for the album, and as such it was seemingly lost to the ages. Over the past couple of decades, a few different record labels have rereleased the album, bringing more attention to the album in modern days. This seems like it ought to be an interesting listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Gypsy Wine” starts out with some interesting galloping horses and suddenly some incredibly interesting music comes on, consisting of a sitar, a really pleasant galloping beat, and a super bright fiddle. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar and tambourine really bring a great jangle to the soundscape. Holy smokes, those vocals are awesome, and quite delicate in sound. This song is sweet. It reminds me a bit of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) from The Beatles. Wow, this tune really goes between different movements very fluently. Great tune. I’m excited for the rest of the album.
“Sunshine People” starts out with some super groovy, nearly chugging organs and bass, with some delicate chops from the electric guitar that almost has a little bit of a country rock sound to it. Oh wow, the massive distortion on the other guitar is absolutely delicious. This tune keeps evolving so much while staying with a super consistent and tight little groove. Oh wow, now this tune sounds like some sort of psychedelic jug band tune. This is super groovy. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Way Up High” starts out with some absolutely epic sounding ominous and bluesy piano. Holy smokes, this is sweet. The tune becomes nearly kaleidoscopic with the bright orchestral strings and gentle guitars, sitar, and the tabla sounding drums. Wow, the contrast between the weight of the sound between the two different movements in the song is massive, and absolutely awesome. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar comes in near the end with some super tasty strumming. Really great tune.
“Lady’s Man” starts out with a sort of prancing harpsichord, which is soon echoed by the rest of the band in a style reminiscent of “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles. Oh wow, this tune goes between different movements in a really tight, succinct way. The distant and distorted electric guitar really ruminates in the background of the tune well, while the rest of the tune retains a relatively clean sound. Really sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Mr. Mortimer” comes on with a bit of blues club sort of feel with the bluesy trumpet and airy drums, lifted by the organs in the background. Oh wow, this tune switches up super well. This tune almost breaks through to sort of roaring 20s big band jazz feel mixed with psychedelic rock. This song is awesome. The lyrics and vocals of the song are also reminiscent of that sort of John Lennon and Paul McCartney sound and feel. Oh wow, this tune gets super delicate and then gets celebratory in nature. This song is sweet. Great tune.
“Man Do You” starts out really gently with acoustic guitar and sitar, and some low drums that have a really massive vibratory sound, creating a super introspective sound to it. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar resolves to some really nice chords for a moment, before beginning again this mixture of folk baroque and raga sounds in this introspective tune. There’s some orchestral work in this tune as well that brings a really interesting dimension to the soundscape as well. Really sweet tune.
“Raining” fades into the soundscape with some gentle sitar and some soft arpeggios from the acoustic guitar and some delicate and bright plucking of another stringed instrument. Oh wow, this tune breaks through to a super pleasant chorus after a really patient build up. Oh wow, there’s a massive amount of momentum at the end of this tune. Really sweet track.
Oh wow, “I Hide” starts out with some super tasty and nearly cheesy distortion from the electric guitars that remind me a bit of Hot Tuna. Oh wow, this lead guitar part is absolutely going in on this tune while the band keeps a super steady jam going on around it. The bass line is really pleasant, and pulls the tune up nicely, while the different percussion parts all keep the tune rockin’ steady. Great tune.
“Raven” starts out with some super delicate, nearly baroque sounding acoustic guitar and gentle percussion. Oh wow, the violin comes on and really adds a whole lot of bright sweetness to the soundscape. Oh wow, the orchestral strings, acoustic guitar and gentle percussion all come together really pleasantly for some super sweet and delicate sounds. Great little tune.
“Day” has a super interesting syncopation to it at the start that immediately creates a bit of tension. Oh wow, the vocals are rotating around the soundscape with the other instruments seemingly playing around themselves, getting somewhat kaleidoscopic at times before the tune goes into a marching band sort of part, then fades to a really sweet flamenco sounding piece, before coming back around to the initial melody and soundscape. Oh wow, this tune is fading out with some super interesting ticking-like percussion. Super interesting and pretty awesome way to end the album. Sweet song.
Wow, this album was pretty awesome. There were definitely a ton of elements from around 1967 from The Beatles, but there were also some folksy and bluesy elements as well. It’s a shame this album didn’t really perform well commercially, because this was a pretty sweet album. If you enjoy the works of The Beatles circa 1967, especially Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), as well as other psychedelic rock and pop bands from that era, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A