The group featured long organ driven instrumental breaks with piercing guitar lines between some strong songwriting in a majority of their songs. They were a very popular group that was rising fast in the California psychedelic scene. By the time it was over they were right on the verge of crossing over to hard rock. Songs like “Workshop,” which delves into your thought processes and dreams, I thought, were very introspective and thought provoking, and great musically. “She Let Him Continue” is a psych-rock gem from the vaults. With all of the sound effects (which were fairly new at the time) and the strong vocal inflections from the pipes of Bill Daffern (drums), the song still sounds as hauntingly fresh today as the day it was laid down in the studio. Mike Parkinson normally handled all the vocals. John Morton (lead guitar), Steve Hansen (rhythm guitar), Tom Tanory (bass) were the core of the group that supported the great songwriting and vocals. “Portland” is a stunning instrumental passage. This particular track made me realize that this group would have evolved quite interestingly if they had remained together. The potential for moving more into fusion was evident in their music right from the start. You can hear elements of just about every genre (jazz, blues, pop, rhythm & blues) intermingled amongst each song, although you must listen very carefully to hear it all. Every song serves as an excellent example of the cross pollination of genres. They were so much more than the psych-rock band that they were generally perceived as. “The Lost Album” (1969) is a remake of “Strictly From Hunger.” I listened to this album first and when I put on the original recording I noticed quite a difference in sound quality and musicianship. Part of that was due to Ed King (Thee Sixpence/Strawberry Alarm Clock/Lynyrd Skynyrd) replacing John Morton on lead guitar. I can’t take anything away from Morton; he did a fine job on the original recording. The differences are very apparent, and in comparison the original recording sounds shallow and canned. The other important factors are of course the re mastering and repackaging of the product by Akarma Records. It is a real treat to compare and contrast between the two albums. You most definitely should get this two LP set, do not make the mistake of getting just one of the albums. You will miss out on all of the fun if you do. |
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