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!
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