Felt was a relatively short-lived (at first) progressive rock band that was formed in Alabama in 1970. The group was relatively young when they released their self-titled debut in 1971, with band members ranging from the ages of 17 to 20. Though the band went their separate ways for a while, some members going to college, others getting jobs after high school and playing music on the side, the band got back together eventually and released another album in 2012. The album I’m listening to tonight, Felt (1971), which is the group’s self-titled debut album, seems to be highly regarded wherever I look on the internet, so I’m pretty stoked to give this one a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Oh wow, “Look At the Sun” starts out with some smooth piano and ballad-like vocals that evoke the sweet sounds of songs like “Let It Be” or “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. Oh wow, a smooth swing from the drums come in with a bass line that gradually ramps up the song as the song builds. Oh wow, I really dig the tone of the guitar in this track, which sort of reminds me of a sort of mixture of George Harrison from Revolver (1966), with a bit of the harder rock stylings from the early 1970s. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this song so far. Oh wow, the song changes up for the outro with some super bluesy licks and an overall feel that reminds me a lot of The Beatles’ Abbey Road (1969). Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Holy smokes, “Now She’s Gone” gets started with some very jazz-like chord structure and a tight beat with some sweet high hats that seems to continually build up the tension in the song. Holy smokes, I really dig the harmonization of the guitar and vocals as the song gets into a bit of a jam/groove. Oh wow, the track mellows out a ton into a sort of blues-inflected soft rock section that has pulled me even further into the listening experience. Oh wow, the track has changed up even more into a different sort of slow, blues-inflected, psychedelic rock ballad that has a soundscape that reminds me a bit of The Doors’ first record back in 1967. Oh wow, the band falls back into that tight, jazz-inflected intro from the beginning of the track in a super groovy way. Wow, great track.
“Weepin’ Mama Blues” starts out with a classic, big, steady, distorted, bluesy guitar line that evokes early hard rock flavors combined with flavors of psychedelic prog rock bands from the late 1960s like Family or Pussy. Oh wow, the chorus of the track builds on itself in a super sweet way that reminds me a bit of the building hard rock songs of Led Zeppelin. This track has the classic bluesy architecture of songs like The Animals’ version of “House of the Rising Sun” or even The Blues Magoos’ “Sometimes I Think About”, which itself a cover of a Judy Roderick song. Holy smokes, I’m absolutely digging the swirling organs in this track. Oh wow, the band gets into an absolutely epic jam for the outro of the track, which includes a harmonization of vocals and the lead guitar. Oh wow, the track seems to keep on giving to the very last moment of the song. Great track.
“World” starts out with a super mellow bass line, some light drums, and some melty guitar at first, and then the band stops for a moment before dropping into this massive, swirling organ-laced, bluesy psychedelic jam that reminds me a ton of Vanilla Fudge. Oh wow, the vocals really seem to drive the track forward nicely in a manner that feels like a crossroads of early 1970s hard rock, and late 1960s progressive rock and psychedelic rock. Holy smokes, the organs slam down super nicely with the beat of the drums and the strumming of the rhythm guitar, with the bass line constantly shifting and creating a dynamic feel, while the lead guitar plays some super groovy, blues-laced psychedelic licks into the soundscape. Oh wow, the track mellows out for a moment near the end of the song, and then finishes off with a massive and chaotic crescendo. Super groovy tune.
Oh wow, “The Change” starts off with some slowly rising organs that give the soundscape a sort of mystique that reminds me a bit of the earlier days of The Doors, and then the track drops into a massive, epic psychedelic jam that has me listening continually closer. The soundscape evokes a medley of late 1960s psychedelic blues jams and early 1970s hard rock, with prog rock elements from those time periods mixed in. Oh wow, the band changed to a more upbeat movement, though staying in that sort of prog and psychedelic sound space. Oh wow, the track changed up again and the band is now in a sort of groove that has the sort of hard rock elements from the early 1970s reminiscent of Led Zeppelin infused with Vanilla Fudge. Oh wow, the track breaks down a bit as it seems like these multiple movements are gradually tied together with an epic jam to finish out the song. Oh wow, I really dig the outro to this one. Great track.
Oh wow, “Destination” starts out with a sort of cool, relaxed groove with some light, tight guitar chords, some sweet, swirling organs, a sort of bluesy/jazz-like swing in the drums, and some mellow, breezy vocals. Holy smokes, the track breaks through to a super groovy psychedelic prog and hard rock jam for the chorus, and mellows back into the intro groove super nicely. I’m kind of reminded of The Doors’ extended jam tracks. Oh wow, the organs are taking a solo at the moment that remind me a bit of Jimmy Smith. Oh wow, the lead guitar has come in with some super groovy jazz-like flavor and a tone that reminds me a bit of Grant Green’s style of having the mids turned all the way up with the bass and treble turned all the way down. Oh wow, the lead guitar gradually begins jamming harder with some hard blues rock sort of licks. Oh wow, I really dig the break through to the chorus in this track. Wow, great tune and a great way to finish up the album.
Holy smokes, this album is great. I can totally understand how it’s regarded highly on many sites on the internet. The group evoked flavors from the late 1960s psychedelic rock bands like Vanilla Fudge, The Doors, or The Beatles, and seemed to take cues from the psychedelic progressive rock bands from the late 1960s as well as the early 1970s, such as groups like Family or Pussy, which combined with hard rock flavors reminiscent of bands like Led Zeppelin to create an album that I want to listen to again very soon. If you’re into psychedelic rock from the late 1960s, and especially psychedelic prog rock from around the late 1960s and early 1970s, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A