OCTOBER COUNTRY - COWBOYS AND INDIANS / I WISH I WAS A FIRE, AUGUST 1968

The latest 45 to enter my clutches is this beautiful gem from October Country, a Los Angeles group under the heavy guidance of teenage pop genius Michael Lloyd.  Lloyd wrote all the groups material and ended up playing and singing most of it himself.  Released in August 1968 this would be the third and final single from October Country.  Their records didn't have any commercial success which led to a fairly quick demise.

The plug side 'Cowboys And Indians' is rather upbeat and dramatic with a driving organ sound throughout.  According to Michael Lloyd the tune perhaps draws influence from the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks composition 'Heroes And Villains'.  Although the songs have their apparent differences the influence is present.  I quite enjoy the vocals on 'Cowboys And Indians' which features the unique dynamic of female member Caryle De Franca and Lloyd himself.  It was re-recorded in a similar fashion by Lloyd and exists as the opening track on The Smoke album which is a more recent favorite of mine.

'I Wish I Was A Fire' is a bouncing sing along with some terrific lyrics that I am quite fond of.  The bass tone is sharp and upfront, and Caryle's vocals are wonderful.  There's a lot of ground covered in less than two minutes, and it begs for repeated plays.  This one was most definitely under the influence of 'Penny Lane', the horn outro almost sounds like a direct homage to it.  A truly magical pop tune!

MOORPARK INTERSECTION - I THINK I'LL JUST GO AND FIND ME A FLOWER / YESTERDAY HOLDS ON, FEBRUARY 1968

Moorpark Intersection's 'I Think I'll Just Go And Find Me A Flower' is such a delightful song, it's almost unfair.  Everytime I hear the opening acoustic riff it's an instant improvement to my day.  The west coast flower folk harmonies are catchy as hell and the flute seals the deal.  Not to mention the overtly direct title of the song which should be enough to put a smile on your face.

The flipside 'Yesterday Holds On' is also enjoyable, but it's a much darker tune with more of a studio presence.  It's as if the flowers of '67 were fading away...

Flower Bomb Songs has the GOODS on Moorpark Intersection's brief history and recording details.  Check that here.

CHILDE HAROLD - BRINK OF DEATH, 1968

'Brink Of Death' is a trippy orchestrated flower pop delight which I discovered on the Heavy Dose Of Lyte Psych comp some years back.  I am naturally drawn to it's strange mysterious sounds, and I find myself coming back to it regularly.  The song was written by Bert Sommer, who is noted (among other things) for his brief involvement with the Left Banke.  Sommer's more straightforward harpsichord led version of 'Brink Of Death' can be found on his debut solo album recorded for Capitol in late 1968.

The stark lyrics and imagery of the song are further aided in the Childe Harold version.  Walter Carlos provides a slightly disturbing arrangement featuring sound effects and treated vocals.  The promo version which I have is a stereo/mono flip, but the actual release had a b-side entitled 'Anne, With Love'.  The photo on the back of the picture sleeve indicates there was an actual band involved, but I am unaware of the origins or personnel.  This is the only release under the name Childe Harold.

PAUL PARRISH - THE FOREST OF MY MIND, 1968

Although it seems to be appreciated by a large enough audience this Paul Parrish debut has never seen a CD release or reissue, and the original LP is somewhat scarce.  There are copies to be found however, and I was able to come up with a beautiful DJ mono promo copy for fairly cheap after a few weeks of searching early in the year.

I'll admit I had pretty high expectations for this record after a few things I had seen and read about it, and I was left slightly disappointed upon the first few listens.  I suppose I was anticipating a heavier psych leaning, but aside from the title track all of these tunes are of the light folkie orchestrated pop style.  Within that vein it's a very nice album with great production, and all of the original compositions have something pleasant to offer.  Themes of nature and introspection dominate Parrish's song writing which can be summed up in plain sight within the albums title 'The Forest Of My Mind'.  His gentle vocal delivery combined with flute accents and acoustic guitar can easily draw comparisons to Donovan's '67 period.

Each side of the record closes with a cover song, both of which are respectable renditions, but the album wouldn't have been affected much if they had been left off completely.  With all this being said I present a warning; after repeated listens of this record one might find themselves fully 'stached and contemplating life out in the woods!

THE ROLLING STONES - WE LOVE YOU / DANDELION, SEPTEMBER 1967

Recording for 'We Love You' took place during the Satanic Majesties sessions, smack dab in the middle of summer 1967.  It's a rather busy yet delightful tune often noted for having high harmony vocals by Lennon and McCartney.  Prominent in the mix is Nicky Hopkins on piano and Brian Jones' first use of mellotron on record.  This 45 would be the last Rolling Stones release to receive a production credit from Andrew Loog Oldham.

The flipside 'Dandelion' charted higher than 'We Love You' in the US peaking at no. 14 in October 1967.  A perfect pop tune it is featuring Nicky Hopkins once again only this time on harpsichord.  It's an ideal companion piece to the Satanic Majesties track 'She's A Rainbow' which is very similar in theme and style.

WE THE PEOPLE - TOO MUCH NOISE

A few years back Sundazed put out this mock long player of material recorded by Florida garage band We The People in 1966 while they were cutting singles for Challenge records.  It's a fantastic collection with 14 tracks all worthy of mention for one reason or another.  Side one of the record features their raucous garage style, while side two leans more towards the groovy flower psych side of things.  The garage punkers are killer, but some of my all-time favorite gems are the Wayne Proctor penned songs on side 2, starting with 'In The Past', a stunning raver most famously covered by the Chocolate Watchband.  The original version here features the distinct sound of the octachord, a homemade eight stringed instrument crafted to mimic the sound of a sitar.  Another personal fave, and perhaps my pick of the bunch is the originally unreleased cut 'Beginning of The End', which has that cool as ice '66 vocal on top of buzzing organ sounds and guitar breaks that will forever be encrusted in the mirror of my mind.

GANDALF, 1969

Gandalf, a record mostly comprised of cover songs that is somehow thirty minutes of seamless, hazy, psychedelic wonderland and one of my absolute favorite long players.  It's a perfect 'night time' record, great for those relaxing nights alone in your head.  For an excellent interview with lead guitarist/vocalist Peter Sando about the origins of Gandalf go here.