Now this is a band that seems super interesting to me, as I can only find little tidbits of information about them on various older music blogs on the internet here and there. The Discogs page for this album, From Within (1969), seems to suggest that they were a psychedelic rock band, though the blogs online seems to suggest they had more of a sunshine pop sound mixed with a softer psychedelic rock sound. This isn’t necessarily too large of a distinction, but notable nonetheless. The more I try to search for information, the less I seem to find, which only makes me more intrigued with what might be in store in this album. With that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“Melancholy Baby” starts out with a super groovy and heavy beat from the drums, followed quickly by some super tasty fuzzy guitar and organs, which seem to get grooved along by that smooth bass line. Holy smokes, this is sweet. It reminds me a ton of Iron Butterfly’s early work combined with some lighter vocal performances. Holy smokes, a ragtimey-piano just came into the soundscape, and elevated the flavor to a whole new level. Wow, this is groovy. Great track and great start to this album; I’m excited to hear the rest of the tunes.
Oh wow, “I Feel a Bit Strange” seems to carry on that heaviness brought on by the fuzzy guitar and the fat combination of the kick drum and that smooth bass line, only combined with a really bright and light vocal performance. Holy smokes, this is sweet. There’s a bit of an instrumental breakdown with the organs as the playing seems to span at least two whole octaves between the highest and lowest notes in the lick. Oh wow, this is groovy. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Get Along Boy” almost has a bit of a country sound with a strong back beat and a super twangy guitar that seems both wholly natural and completely unexpected, especially when you factor in the playful harpsichord that seems to juxtapose the song somewhere between ragtime and a baroque sort of sound. Great track.
Oh wow, “Blues On You” this track has a really sweet groove from the light percussion section of a combination of congas, shakers, and a traditional western drum kit. Oh wow, the fuzzy groove of the guitar and the organs seems to ooze some awesome flavors of ’60s psychedelia. The vocal line hits a really tasty note as the last word in the chorus gets emphasized, which nearly moves the tune forward in its own way. Great tune.
Oh wow, “From Within” starts out with some super tasty drums that set the tone with a really tasty airy swing, while the fuzzy guitar lays down some super tasty licks. Oh wow, the fuzzed sound organs really really creates a nice texture in the soundscape. Holy smokes, there’s a super sweet background chorus that seems to peer into the soundscape from beyond as this vocal chorus creates a soft velvety texture in contrast with the fuzz stylings of the guitar and organ. Oh wow, the bass line really grooves the tune super nicely as well, keeping with a pretty dynamic sound the whole time. Great track.
Oh wow, “I Got to You” starts out with a guitar line that reminds me a ton of The Church’s tune, “Under the Milky Way” off of their 1988 album, Starfish. Holy smokes, this groove is super tasty. Oh wow, the distinct lack of fuzz in the guitars makes the clean tone seem that much more as if it’s melting into the soundscape. Wow, great track.
“Not Another Night” starts out with a somewhat pop-sounding melody, though seemingly infused with a layer of acid rock with the fuzz of the guitar and organs once again. Holy smokes, the bongos/congas in the percussion section really adds a light groove type of sound to the soundscape, while the flute adds even more to the lighter elements of the tune. Holy smokes, the change of tempo at the end of the song to a slower groove makes the tune that much more dynamic sounding. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Let Her Come In” starts out with some really sweet clean, melty guitar work, while the piano adds some super bright and warm flavors with the lighter playing. Wow, this song is sweet. It reminds me a bit of some of the John and Beverley Martyn album I listened to recently. Wow, the tune even picks up a bit as it gets a bit of a groove going. Great tune.
“Please Understand” starts out with some strangeness to the melody, which seems to remind me a bit of The Doors in a certain way, while there’s a super interesting layer of distortion on the drums that seems to create a strange swirling sound that is furthered by the manner in which the guitar and organs seem to groove back and forth with each other. The vocal performance has a really pleasant, inviting sound reminding me a bit of some soft psychedelic rock groups from the time period like Chamaeleon Church. Great track.
Oh wow, “Blind With a Borrowed Light” gets grooving almost immediately with a super tasty psychedelic rock sound that seems to be a halfway point between the fuzzy acid rock style guitar and the softness you might hear in a more psychedelic pop oriented group. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “There’s a Woman” has a really pleasant psychedelic pop sound with a bit of twang to the guitars, and nearly reminds me of a strange combination of The Beach Boys and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. I really dig the instrumentation in this; between the bopping bass, the swishing rhythm guitar, the twangy lead guitar, and the strong beat with the smooth psychedelic pop-oriented vocals, there’s a ton of tasty flavors in the tune. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Doin’ Alright” starts out with a super tasty groove coming off of the heels of the previous track. Oh wow, this tune is super tasty. Holy smokes, the guitars faded out and all that you hear now is a super sweet bass solo with a bit of accompaniment from some lighter percussion like shakers, blocks, and congas. Oh wow, that little bass jam seems to land the main chorus right in place, which is followed by another super tasty jam, which seems to be led by the flute and then led one of the electric guitars. Wow, this jam keeps getting extended a bit further as the guitar travels about, until the very end when everything seems to tie together with the shakers trailing the instrumentation as everything fades out. Great tune and super sweet way to end the album.
Wow, this album was awesome. There are a ton of interesting mixtures of flavors, which seems to land the band at an interesting halfway point between acid rock or a heavier psychedelic rock, and a more psychedelic pop sound. The resulting album is a really interesting flavor of psychedelic rock that almost is like you asked Iron Butterfly to play some light pop music from around the year 1970. This was an album that really just fit my ear nicely, and is one I want to look into getting on vinyl. If you enjoy a softer psychedelic rock or psychedelic pop and also enjoy acid rock, you might want to check out this album. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A